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50 Congratulations Messages for Thesis Defense

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The culmination of years of research, sleepless nights, and countless revisions, a thesis defense is a significant milestone in any scholar’s academic journey. It marks the transition from student to expert, from learner to contributor. 

As friends, family, and colleagues, it’s our privilege and joy to share in this momentous occasion. 

And what better way to express our admiration and pride than with the perfect congratulatory message? 

Whether you’re seeking heartfelt words or a touch of humor, this guide offers some congratulatory messages tailored for thesis defenses, ensuring that you convey just the right sentiment. 

Dive in and discover the ideal way to celebrate this monumental achievement!

Congratulations Messages for Thesis Defense

  • Congratulations on your outstanding defense! The dedication and hard work you poured into your research truly shone through today. You’ve set the bar high for aspiring researchers.
  • Every step of your academic journey has led to this monumental achievement. You’ve not only defended your thesis but also upheld the spirit of inquiry. Well done!
  • Bravo! Your passion for your topic was evident in your defense. May this success open doors to even greater achievements in the future.
  • It’s not just about defending a thesis, it’s about standing strong for your ideas and insights. You’ve made everyone proud today! Keep reaching for the stars.
  • Your defense was nothing short of spectacular! Your depth of knowledge and eloquence truly impressed everyone. Celebrate this huge milestone!
  • Watching you defend your thesis was a clear reminder of the power of dedication and perseverance. You’ve achieved something truly remarkable. Kudos to you!
  • Your rigorous research, methodical approach, and confident defense have surely set you apart. You’re destined for greatness! Congratulations!
  • Celebrating your phenomenal achievement today! Your defense was a testament to the countless hours of hard work and commitment. Well done!
  • You’ve not only defended your thesis but also ignited inspiration in many. Your prowess and expertise were truly commendable. Hats off to you!
  • Today, you’ve added another feather to your academic cap. Your defense was articulate and insightful, paving the way for many more successes.

50 Congratulations Messages for Thesis Defense

  • Your success story is an inspiration. With every challenge, you’ve risen above and proved your mettle. Heartiest congratulations on a brilliant defense!
  • The way you handled the questions and presented your findings was truly commendable. You’ve defended more than a thesis; you’ve defended your dreams.
  • A monumental day in your academic journey! Your defense showcased not just your findings, but also your deep passion for your subject. Congrats!
  • The precision, dedication, and brilliance you displayed during your defense was unparalleled. May this success lead you to greater adventures!
  • Congratulations on turning your thesis into a masterpiece and defending it with such flair! You are indeed a force to be reckoned with in your field.
  • You came, you researched, and you conquered! Today’s defense was a shining moment in your academic journey. Take a bow!
  • Your meticulous research and eloquent defense have surely set a benchmark. Heartfelt congratulations on this remarkable achievement!
  • From the proposal to the defense, your journey has been a testament to hard work and perseverance. Today, you reaped the rewards. Cheers to you!
  • It’s one thing to write a thesis and another to defend it so proficiently. You’ve showcased true academic excellence. Congratulations!
  • Your defense was a powerful demonstration of your commitment to your field. You’ve made a mark, and this is just the beginning. Well done!

50 Congratulations Messages for Thesis Defense

  • By successfully defending your thesis, you’ve proven that dreams coupled with hard work can lead to monumental achievements. Congrats!
  • The diligence with which you approached your thesis and the confidence with which you defended it were exemplary. Your future is bright! Cheers to your success.
  • A standing ovation for your impeccable defense! Your passion and dedication were palpable in every word you spoke. Congratulations!
  • Your thesis defense was more than a presentation; it was a performance of your unwavering commitment to your research. You’ve truly outdone yourself. Bravo!
  • Today, you’ve not only earned a degree but also the respect and admiration of many. Your defense was a masterclass. Here’s to many more accomplishments!
  • Your resilience and determination have culminated in this grand moment. Every slide, every word, every answer was a testament to your dedication. Congratulations!
  • The journey from hypothesis to conclusion is long and arduous. Yet, you navigated it with grace and brilliance. Your defense was simply extraordinary!
  • Today, you didn’t just defend a thesis; you showcased your unwavering commitment to knowledge. Your confidence and expertise were in full display. Cheers!
  • What a magnificent achievement! Your eloquent defense was a reflection of the hard work and sleepless nights you invested. Take a well-deserved bow!
  • Behind this success is a saga of challenges, perseverance, and undying passion. You defended with vigor and pride. Heartiest congratulations!

50 Congratulations Messages for Thesis Defense

  • Today, you’ve shown everyone that with passion and determination, even the loftiest academic goals can be achieved. Your defense was impeccable!
  • As you stood there, confidently presenting and defending, you personified academic excellence. Many congratulations on your momentous achievement!
  • Thesis defense is more than an academic ritual; it’s a rite of passage. You’ve transitioned with such brilliance. Here’s to the journey ahead!
  • Your defense today wasn’t just about your research; it was about your dedication, your passion, and your drive. You truly shined! Congratulations!
  • In the realm of academia, moments like these define a scholar. Your remarkable defense has undoubtedly set you on a path of greatness. Kudos!
  • Celebrating your incredible milestone! Every query you addressed showcased the depth of your understanding. Your defense was truly commendable.
  • In your defense, we didn’t just see slides and hear words; we witnessed your journey, your struggles, and your victories. A job splendidly done!
  • The brilliance with which you defended your thesis is indicative of the great things awaiting you in the future. Heartfelt congratulations!
  • Your defense was a harmonious blend of passion, precision, and prowess. It’s evident how much of yourself you’ve poured into this work. Salutations on your achievement!
  • To take a concept, research it thoroughly, and then defend it with such finesse is truly admirable. Your hard work has paid off! Cheers!

50 Congratulations Messages for Thesis Defense

  • This is not just a celebration of your defense but also a testament to your relentless pursuit of knowledge. You’ve made everyone immensely proud.
  • Not everyone can stand their ground and defend their years of research with such confidence. You were phenomenal! Here’s to this and many more successes.
  • The depth, the rigor, and the brilliance you showcased during your defense was a masterclass in itself. You’ve raised the bar! Congratulations.
  • Today’s success story is a combination of your determination, hard work, and an undying spirit of inquiry. You truly deserve all the accolades!
  • Thesis defense is a significant milestone, and the way you executed it was nothing short of perfection. You’ve etched a mark in everyone’s heart. Kudos!
  • The journey you embarked on led to this commendable defense. Every challenge faced has turned into a stepping stone for your success. Hats off to you!
  • Your defense was an exhibition of your depth of knowledge and commitment to your field. A triumphant moment truly worth celebrating!
  • Successfully defending a thesis is a monumental achievement, and today, you’ve proven your mettle. Warmest congratulations on this feat!
  • Your defense wasn’t just a presentation; it was a manifestation of your passion, hard work, and perseverance. Your success is truly well-deserved.
  • In your defense, we saw the culmination of years of dedication, learning, and growth. You’ve made a remarkable achievement. Heartiest congratulations!

50 Congratulations Messages for Thesis Defense

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Guide: How to Say Good Luck in Your Studies

When it comes to wishing someone good luck in their studies, there are various ways to express your well wishes, both formally and informally. In this guide, we will explore a range of phrases, tips, and examples that will help you convey your encouragement and support. Whether you’re communicating with a friend, classmate, or colleague, these phrases are sure to bring positivity to their educational journey.

Formal Ways to Say Good Luck

1. Best of luck with your studies. 2. I wish you the best of luck in your academic pursuits. 3. May you find success in your studies. 4. Good luck as you embark on your educational journey. 5. I hope your studies are fruitful and fulfilling. 6. Wishing you the very best in your educational endeavors. 7. May your hard work and dedication pay off in your studies. 8. I am confident that you will excel in your studies. 9. Good luck with all the challenges and opportunities that your studies may bring. 10. May your studies open doors to a bright and successful future.

Informal Ways to Say Good Luck

1. Good luck, buddy! Study hard and make us proud. 2. Knock ’em dead with your studies! Good luck! 3. Hey, best of luck with your studies! You’ve got this. 4. Wishing you all the luck in the world for your studies. 5. Study smart, rock your exams, and good luck! 6. Break a leg with your studies! I know you’ll do great. 7. May all your exams be as easy as pie. Good luck! 8. Hey studious one, good luck with your studies! You’ll crush it. 9. Your hard work will pay off. Sending you good luck and positive vibes for your studies. 10. Keep calm and study on! Good luck, my friend!

Tips for Wishing Good Luck in Studies

– Personalize your message: Adding the person’s name to your good luck wishes can make them feel special and appreciated. For example, “Good luck, [Name]! I know you’ll excel in your studies.”

– Be specific: Instead of only saying “good luck,” you can also mention specific areas of study or exams. For instance, “Good luck with your upcoming history exam!”

– Offer encouragement: Pair your good luck wishes with words of encouragement to boost the recipient’s confidence. For example, “Believe in yourself and your abilities. Good luck with your studies!”

– Share personal experiences: If you’ve been through a similar educational journey, share your experiences and any valuable advice. This can provide support and inspiration for the person you’re wishing luck to.

– Use positive affirmations: Include inspiring quotes or affirmations to motivate the individual in their studies. Here’s an example: “Remember, success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out. Good luck with your studies!”

Examples of How to Say Good Luck

“Good luck, Emily! May your studies be filled with exciting discoveries and achievements.”

“Hey, Ethan! Just wanted to wish you good luck as you dive into your studies. Believe in yourself, and all the hard work will pay off!”

“Best of luck with your studies, Ava! Embrace every challenge as an opportunity to grow and learn. You’ve got this!”

“I know you’ve been working incredibly hard, Alex. Wishing you all the best with your studies. Remember to take breaks and take care of yourself too. Good luck!”

“Hey, Lily! Good luck with your exams. Study smart, stay focused, and show those tests who’s boss!”

“Sending you lots of good luck vibes, Noah! Trust in your abilities and never stop reaching for your goals. Your dedication will pave the way for a bright future.”

“Good luck, Oliver! Keep your eye on the prize and let nothing distract you from achieving greatness in your studies.”

“Remember, Sarah, every step you take in your studies brings you closer to your dreams. Good luck, and may your efforts be rewarded!”

“Hey, Daniel! Best of luck with your research project. I can’t wait to see the incredible results you’ll achieve. You’re destined for greatness!”

“Sending you all the good luck in the world, Mia! I know you’ll tackle your studies with tenacity and brilliance. Stay focused and inspired!”

“Good luck, Benjamin! Your passion and dedication for learning will undoubtedly lead you to great success. Keep shining bright!”

The journey of education can be challenging, but with the right support and encouragement, anyone can succeed. By expressing your good luck wishes in either a formal or informal manner, you can convey your excitement and belief in the person’s abilities. Remember to personalize your message, be specific, and offer words of encouragement. Combine these tips and examples to create heartfelt good luck wishes that inspire and uplift those embarking on their studies.

Wishing you the very best of luck with your studies!

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Good luck messages: what to write in a good luck card.

What to Write in a Good Luck Card

Whether it’s a big test or a first day on a new job, a good-luck message is always welcome and appreciated. Your card might be just the confidence-booster a friend or loved one needs to get through a tough day or an important challenge!

“Good luck”—those two little words can express big caring and encouragement all by themselves. But if you’d like to say more, you’ve come to the right place for ideas. From different energy levels, to different situations and recipients, we’ve got tips and message starters to get your thoughts flowing and your pen moving.

Whether you keep it low-key or amp up the enthusiasm, we hope our ideas help you send a little well-timed luck and support to someone who needs it!

Inspired? Create and share by tagging @Hallmark .

  • Affirmation
  • Inspiring Quotes
  • Warm Closings

Wishes  

You don’t have to write a lot to encourage your recipient in a big way. It’s fine to keep your personal message short and sweet—especially when the card itself has already said quite a bit.

  • “Best of luck at your race tomorrow! I’ll be thinking about you!”
  • “Good luck today! I hope it helps to know you’ll be in my thoughts.”
  • “Good luck and good wishes.”
  • “All the luck in the world, all wished for you.”
  • “Good luck, you! We’re all betting on you!”
  • “Love and luck to you on your first day at work. Can’t wait to hear all about it!”
  • “Sending good vibes to take with you to your treatment.”
  • “I know how important this is for you. Hope you know how much I’m pulling for you!
  • “Best wishes for a successful interview!”
  • “Prayers and good thoughts coming your way. Good luck!”
  • “May good fortune smile on you as you begin this new adventure.”
  • “Go forth and conquer!”
  • “Crossing my fingers for you! Go, go, go!”

Writing tip: Is it possible to overdo the enthusiasm in a good-luck message? If you’re writing to someone facing treatment for a serious illness or other difficult circumstance, then maybe so. But in general, don’t hold back on the energy…or the exclamation points!

Affirmation  

If you want to go one step beyond a simple good-luck wish, try expressing your belief in your recipient and their ability to tackle the challenge they’re about to face. Compliment them for preparing well. If appropriate, remind them of how far they’ve already come.

  • “Good luck with the presentation. You’re going to be amazing!”
  • “I know today won’t be easy, but I also know you’re up to the challenge. Best of luck to you!”
  • “Wishing you the very best luck…not that you need it. You’ve got this.”
  • “Just a friendly reminder that I believe in you.”
  • “Hope you’re feeling good and confident about today. You have every reason to.”
  • “I predict a big win tomorrow. Good luck to you!”
  • “You can do this!”
  • “Go get ‘em! (Just like you always do.)”
  • “May all your practice and preparation meet with the best of luck!”
  • “All your hard work is about to pay off…”
  • “Go out and give it your best shot. Whatever happens, you’ve already got a lot to be proud of!”
  • “You’ve worked hard to get this far. Best wishes as you make this final push!”
  • “Just relax and do your best. You’ll be great!”

Writing tip: What if the card itself has already said “good luck”? Build on it by sending “good thoughts,” “good vibes,” or “good wishes.” Express confidence. Add a compliment. Or simply remind your recipient that you’re thinking of them.

To a Child  

For kids, good-luck messages should focus less on achieving any particular outcome, and more on things like doing their best, having fun, and knowing they’ve got a cheering section .

  • “Sending you good-luck hugs!”
  • “Good luck at the game tonight. Win or lose, I’m proud of you!”
  • “Just wanted you to know I’m thinking about you as you get ready for your recital. Have fun with it and do your best!”
  • “Can’t wait to cheer you on! Best of luck today!”
  • “You’ve practiced hard, and you’re going to do great!”
  • “Good luck at your appointment. If you get nervous, remember I love you…and maybe think about cute puppy videos, too. ☺”
  • “Today will be tough, but you’ll be tougher.”
  • “Good luck to my favorite awesome tee-ball player!”
  • “May good luck smile on you today. And may you be smiling, too.”
  • “Good luck! I believe in you. And unicorns. But especially you.”
  • “I hope this good-luck candy bar gives you a little extra boost!”

Writing tip: A doodle, riddle, on knock-knock joke written off to the side can make a fun addition to a good-luck message for a child.

Inspiring Quotes  

Got some favorite inspiring words ? Consider adding them to your good-luck message, like so…

  • “No bird soars too high, if he soars with his own wings.” —William Blake Looking forward to watching you soar!
  • “I can do all things in him who strengthens me.”—Philippians 4:13 (RSV) You can do this! Good luck!
  • “We find in life exactly what we put into it.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson Here’s to giving it all you’ve got!

Writing tip: If you know your recipient admires a particular well-known person, past or present, see if you can find some inspiring words from that person.

Warm Closings  

A warm closing before your signature is a perfect way to wrap up any good-luck message. Choose one of ours, or come up with one of your own.

  • Lots of love,
  • Love always,
  • Love and prayers,
  • Thinking of you,
  • Best wishes,
  • All the best,
  • Good luck to you,
  • God bless you,
  • Stay strong!
  • Behind you all the way,
  • greeting card messages

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101 Inspirational Quotes for Thesis: Finding the Words

Inspirational Quotes for Thesis Finding the Words

In this article, we’ve compiled a list of inspirational quotes to help you stay motivated and inspired as you work on your thesis. From words of encouragement to motivational reminders, these quotes are perfect for inspiring you to stay focused, positive, and productive throughout the writing process. So, if you’re looking for some inspiration to help you write your thesis or know someone who is, keep reading for 101 uplifting quotes that will inspire and empower you to achieve your academic goals.

101 Inspirational Quotes for Thesis

1. “In the pursuit of knowledge, one finds the courage to redefine possibilities.”

2. “A thesis is not just a conclusion; it’s a journey of self-discovery and growth.”

3. “Through the lens of perseverance, the thesis unveils its true brilliance.”

4. “Doubt not your abilities, for within a thesis lies the power to transform minds.”

5. “In the face of challenges, a thesis becomes a testament to unwavering determination.”

6. “The thesis is the symphony of ideas, harmonizing the rhythm of academia.”

7. “To write a thesis is to sow seeds of wisdom, nurturing the fields of innovation.”

8. “Amidst the darkest doubts, the thesis illuminates the path to enlightenment.”

9. “In the pursuit of truth, a thesis unveils the beauty of intellectual honesty.”

10. “A thesis is the manifestation of dreams woven into scholarly reality.”

11. “The thesis is the mirror reflecting the researcher’s soul.”

12. “Within the labyrinth of knowledge, the thesis becomes the guiding star.”

13. “Like a phoenix rising, the thesis transforms the ashes of uncertainty into knowledge.”

14. “A thesis stands tall on the pillars of curiosity and resilience.”

15. “Through the valleys of research, the thesis climbs mountains of understanding.”

16. “A thesis whispers the language of change, echoing across generations.”

17. “The thesis is the bridge connecting the realm of questions to the land of answers.”

18. “A thesis is a garden where ideas bloom and bloom again.”

19. “In the face of ambiguity, the thesis paints clarity with words.”

20. “Within the binding of a thesis, dreams ascend to new heights.”

21. “The thesis is the constellation of ideas, mapping the universe of knowledge.”

22. “A thesis is the masterpiece of dedication and intellectual artistry.”

23. “Through the storm of doubt, a thesis emerges as a beacon of certainty.”

24. “Within the crucible of research, the thesis forges diamonds of understanding.”

25. “A thesis is the whisper of knowledge, shared through the corridors of time.”

26. “In the symphony of academia, the thesis is the crescendo of brilliance.”

27. “A thesis is not just an end, but a beginning of limitless possibilities.”

28. “Through the tapestry of research, the thesis weaves the fabric of progress.”

29. “The thesis is the elixir of wisdom, nurturing minds for generations to come.”

30. “A thesis is a road less traveled, where innovation finds its way.”

31. “In the garden of academia, the thesis blossoms like a rare and precious flower.”

32. “The thesis is the compass guiding explorers through the seas of knowledge.”

33. “A thesis is the echo of countless voices, shaping the future of understanding.”

34. “Through the dance of words, the thesis paints portraits of enlightenment.”

35. “The thesis is the flame that ignites the torch of wisdom in others.”

36. “A thesis stands firm, an everlasting monument to intellectual achievement.”

37. “In the silence of contemplation, the thesis speaks volumes of insight.”

38. “The thesis is the heartbeat of curiosity, pulsing with the rhythm of discovery.”

39. “A thesis is the symphony of thoughts, composed with the pen of wisdom.”

40. “Through the tunnel of research, the thesis emerges into the light of knowledge.”

41. “The thesis is the lighthouse that guides scholars through uncharted waters.”

42. “A thesis is the constellation of ideas, illuminating the sky of academia.”

43. “In the realm of academia, the thesis reigns as the king of enlightenment.”

44. “The thesis is the gateway to new worlds, unlocked by the key of knowledge.”

45. “A thesis is the river that flows through the valleys of understanding.”

46. “Through the crucible of challenges, the thesis emerges as a beacon of triumph.”

47. “The thesis is the chisel that sculpts the statue of academic brilliance.”

48. “A thesis is the seed that germinates into forests of innovative ideas.”

49. “In the tapestry of research, the thesis weaves the threads of brilliance.”

50. “The thesis is the orchestra, harmonizing the melody of knowledge.”

51. “A thesis is the compass, guiding explorers through the uncharted territory of knowledge.”

52. “Through the dance of ideas, the thesis orchestrates the symphony of enlightenment.”

53. “The thesis is the beacon of light, leading others out of the darkness of ignorance.”

54. “A thesis is the catalyst that sparks the wildfire of curiosity.”

55. “In the garden of academia, the thesis blooms like a rare and exquisite flower.”

56. “The thesis is the constellation of insights, mapping the vast universe of knowledge.”

57. “A thesis is not just an end, but the beginning of a journey into unexplored realms.”

58. “Through the labyrinth of research, the thesis finds the hidden treasure of wisdom.”

59. “The thesis is the heartbeat of scholarly pursuit, pulsing with the rhythm of progress.”

60. “A thesis is the mirror reflecting the soul of the researcher, forever imprinted in ink.”

61. “In the symphony of ideas, the thesis is the crescendo of brilliance.”

62. “The thesis is the bridge that connects the realm of questions to the land of answers.”

63. “A thesis is the seed that sprouts into forests of innovation and progress.”

64. “Through the storm of doubt, the thesis emerges as a beacon of certainty.”

65. “The thesis is the symphony of thoughts, composed with the pen of wisdom.”

66. “A thesis is the whisper of knowledge, shared across generations.”

67. “In the dance of words, the thesis paints portraits of enlightenment.”

68. “The thesis is the compass that guides explorers through the uncharted seas of knowledge.”

69. “A thesis is the lighthouse that shines light on the path of understanding.”

70. “Through the crucible of challenges, the thesis emerges as a beacon of triumph.”

71. “The thesis is the chisel that sculpts the statue of academic brilliance.”

72. “A thesis is the seed that germinates into forests of innovative ideas.”

73. “In the tapestry of research, the thesis weaves the threads of brilliance.”

74. “The thesis is the orchestra, harmonizing the melody of knowledge.”

75. “A thesis is the compass, guiding explorers through the uncharted territory of knowledge.”

76. “Through the dance of ideas, the thesis orchestrates the symphony of enlightenment.”

77. “The thesis is the beacon of light, leading others out of the darkness of ignorance.”

78. “A thesis is the catalyst that sparks the wildfire of curiosity.”

79. “In the garden of academia, the thesis blooms like a rare and exquisite flower.”

80. “The thesis is the constellation of insights, mapping the vast universe of knowledge.”

81. “A thesis is not just an end, but the beginning of a journey into unexplored realms.”

82. “Through the labyrinth of research, the thesis finds the hidden treasure of wisdom.”

83. “The thesis is the heartbeat of scholarly pursuit, pulsing with the rhythm of progress.”

84. “A thesis is the mirror reflecting the soul of the researcher, forever imprinted in ink.”

85. “In the symphony of ideas, the thesis is the crescendo of brilliance.”

86. “The thesis is the bridge that connects the realm of questions to the land of answers.”

87. “A thesis is the seed that sprouts into forests of innovation and progress.”

88. “Through the storm of doubt, the thesis emerges as a beacon of certainty.”

89. “The thesis is the symphony of thoughts, composed with the pen of wisdom.”

90. “A thesis is the whisper of knowledge, shared across generations.”

91. “In the dance of words, the thesis paints portraits of enlightenment.”

92. “The thesis is the compass that guides explorers through the uncharted seas of knowledge.”

93. “A thesis is the lighthouse that shines light on the path of understanding.”

94. “Through the crucible of challenges, the thesis emerges as a beacon of triumph.”

95. “The thesis is the chisel that sculpts the statue of academic brilliance.”

96. “A thesis is the seed that germinates into forests of innovative ideas.”

97. “In the tapestry of research, the thesis weaves the threads of brilliance.”

98. “The thesis is the orchestra, harmonizing the melody of knowledge.”

99. “A thesis is the compass, guiding explorers through the uncharted territory of knowledge.”

100. “Through the dance of ideas, the thesis orchestrates the symphony of enlightenment.”

101. “The thesis is the beacon of light, leading others out of the darkness of ignorance.”

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PhDLife Blog

Sharing PhD experiences across the University of Warwick and beyond

Motivational Quotes for the PhD Journey

good luck for your thesis

The PhD journey is a long one where it’s easy and normal to feel unmotivated for certain stretches of time. We all need a little inspiration to perk us up during those days. Jenny Mak offers you four handy motivational quotes for when the going gets tough during your PhD…

“Success requires Action”

We all procrastinate. It’s something that is easy to do especially at the beginning of your PhD when it feels like you have a lot of time. But to be successful—by this I mean successfully finishing and submitting your thesis—it’s not enough to say that you want a PhD, you also have to do the work. Doing the work means sitting down at your desk, butt firmly stuck to chair, and just doing it. It helps to set yourself concrete goals like writing 500 words a day, and trying your best to meet that target every day.

“Progress, not Perfection”

Perfectionism often gets confused with having high standards. For me, this has meant that I’d revised a chapter countless times before sending it to my supervisors for feedback because I felt that it just wasn’t right. But here’s the problem: the “right” version doesn’t exist. It’s an illusion—painfully shattered when you get back said chapter with lots of critical comments from your supervisor. Conversely, something that you think is “average” might actually be good enough for your supervisor. It’s good to have high standards, but don’t kill yourself over them. “Good enough” tends to be good enough. Check out Petra Kolber’s TED talk titled “The Perfection Detox” for some sharp insights into the perils of perfectionism.

“Eat the Elephant one bite at a time”

I don’t remember where I heard this quote. But it came handy in the late stages of my PhD when I felt tired and frustrated that no matter how much and how fast I was writing and revising, there still seemed to be no end in sight. Finishing a thesis can feel like having a huge elephant in front of you that you’re supposed to eat in its entirety. Of course, if you mainly focus on how massive this elephant is and when you can finish eating it up, you will feel overwhelmed. But if you take the elephant bite by bite, and not think about how much of it is left, one day the elephant will be all gone. The same goes for your thesis: break it down to small actionable tasks and do one task after another, until it is done and ready for submission.

“Enjoy Climbing the Mountain”

Doing a PhD is extremely challenging work. While we do it for the intellectual stimulation, sometimes we might wonder: why do we put ourselves through such difficulty? If you need a reminder of why you have chosen to do this, here is a quote by Tadashi Yanai , the founder of Uniqlo, which I have found helpful: “I’m never really satisfied with anything because the world is ever-changing. If you keep climbing up, then you see another, higher mountain. You climb up that peak and see another. I will pass away eventually because that is life. But I am climbing mountains because I enjoy the process of climbing a mountain.”

What challenges have you faced in your PhD so far? What motivational quotes did you find helpful when you had to face these challenges? Tweet us at  @ResearchEx , email us at [email protected], or leave a comment below.

Jenny Mak is a PhD researcher in the English and Comparative Literary Studies department at the University of Warwick. Her research looks at embodied experiences of globalisation in contemporary world literature. She has a background in creative writing, journalism, publishing, and sports training.

Image:  dandelion-dewdrop-flower-close-3094349  /  cocoparisienne /  CC0 1.0

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2 thoughts on “ motivational quotes for the phd journey ”.

Whenever I feel like want to give up on my PhD, I always remember one beautiful quotes from Alex Wassabi that he mentioned in one of his vlog. His quote sounds like this: ” We know what will happen if we give up, but we don’t know what will happen if we don’t”.

Excellent, motivational!

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SciSpace Resources

What is a thesis | A Complete Guide with Examples

Madalsa

Table of Contents

A thesis is a comprehensive academic paper based on your original research that presents new findings, arguments, and ideas of your study. It’s typically submitted at the end of your master’s degree or as a capstone of your bachelor’s degree.

However, writing a thesis can be laborious, especially for beginners. From the initial challenge of pinpointing a compelling research topic to organizing and presenting findings, the process is filled with potential pitfalls.

Therefore, to help you, this guide talks about what is a thesis. Additionally, it offers revelations and methodologies to transform it from an overwhelming task to a manageable and rewarding academic milestone.

What is a thesis?

A thesis is an in-depth research study that identifies a particular topic of inquiry and presents a clear argument or perspective about that topic using evidence and logic.

Writing a thesis showcases your ability of critical thinking, gathering evidence, and making a compelling argument. Integral to these competencies is thorough research, which not only fortifies your propositions but also confers credibility to your entire study.

Furthermore, there's another phenomenon you might often confuse with the thesis: the ' working thesis .' However, they aren't similar and shouldn't be used interchangeably.

A working thesis, often referred to as a preliminary or tentative thesis, is an initial version of your thesis statement. It serves as a draft or a starting point that guides your research in its early stages.

As you research more and gather more evidence, your initial thesis (aka working thesis) might change. It's like a starting point that can be adjusted as you learn more. It's normal for your main topic to change a few times before you finalize it.

While a thesis identifies and provides an overarching argument, the key to clearly communicating the central point of that argument lies in writing a strong thesis statement.

What is a thesis statement?

A strong thesis statement (aka thesis sentence) is a concise summary of the main argument or claim of the paper. It serves as a critical anchor in any academic work, succinctly encapsulating the primary argument or main idea of the entire paper.

Typically found within the introductory section, a strong thesis statement acts as a roadmap of your thesis, directing readers through your arguments and findings. By delineating the core focus of your investigation, it offers readers an immediate understanding of the context and the gravity of your study.

Furthermore, an effectively crafted thesis statement can set forth the boundaries of your research, helping readers anticipate the specific areas of inquiry you are addressing.

Different types of thesis statements

A good thesis statement is clear, specific, and arguable. Therefore, it is necessary for you to choose the right type of thesis statement for your academic papers.

Thesis statements can be classified based on their purpose and structure. Here are the primary types of thesis statements:

Argumentative (or Persuasive) thesis statement

Purpose : To convince the reader of a particular stance or point of view by presenting evidence and formulating a compelling argument.

Example : Reducing plastic use in daily life is essential for environmental health.

Analytical thesis statement

Purpose : To break down an idea or issue into its components and evaluate it.

Example : By examining the long-term effects, social implications, and economic impact of climate change, it becomes evident that immediate global action is necessary.

Expository (or Descriptive) thesis statement

Purpose : To explain a topic or subject to the reader.

Example : The Great Depression, spanning the 1930s, was a severe worldwide economic downturn triggered by a stock market crash, bank failures, and reduced consumer spending.

Cause and effect thesis statement

Purpose : To demonstrate a cause and its resulting effect.

Example : Overuse of smartphones can lead to impaired sleep patterns, reduced face-to-face social interactions, and increased levels of anxiety.

Compare and contrast thesis statement

Purpose : To highlight similarities and differences between two subjects.

Example : "While both novels '1984' and 'Brave New World' delve into dystopian futures, they differ in their portrayal of individual freedom, societal control, and the role of technology."

When you write a thesis statement , it's important to ensure clarity and precision, so the reader immediately understands the central focus of your work.

What is the difference between a thesis and a thesis statement?

While both terms are frequently used interchangeably, they have distinct meanings.

A thesis refers to the entire research document, encompassing all its chapters and sections. In contrast, a thesis statement is a brief assertion that encapsulates the central argument of the research.

Here’s an in-depth differentiation table of a thesis and a thesis statement.

Now, to craft a compelling thesis, it's crucial to adhere to a specific structure. Let’s break down these essential components that make up a thesis structure

15 components of a thesis structure

Navigating a thesis can be daunting. However, understanding its structure can make the process more manageable.

Here are the key components or different sections of a thesis structure:

Your thesis begins with the title page. It's not just a formality but the gateway to your research.

title-page-of-a-thesis

Here, you'll prominently display the necessary information about you (the author) and your institutional details.

  • Title of your thesis
  • Your full name
  • Your department
  • Your institution and degree program
  • Your submission date
  • Your Supervisor's name (in some cases)
  • Your Department or faculty (in some cases)
  • Your University's logo (in some cases)
  • Your Student ID (in some cases)

In a concise manner, you'll have to summarize the critical aspects of your research in typically no more than 200-300 words.

Abstract-section-of-a-thesis

This includes the problem statement, methodology, key findings, and conclusions. For many, the abstract will determine if they delve deeper into your work, so ensure it's clear and compelling.

Acknowledgments

Research is rarely a solitary endeavor. In the acknowledgments section, you have the chance to express gratitude to those who've supported your journey.

Acknowledgement-section-of-a-thesis

This might include advisors, peers, institutions, or even personal sources of inspiration and support. It's a personal touch, reflecting the humanity behind the academic rigor.

Table of contents

A roadmap for your readers, the table of contents lists the chapters, sections, and subsections of your thesis.

Table-of-contents-of-a-thesis

By providing page numbers, you allow readers to navigate your work easily, jumping to sections that pique their interest.

List of figures and tables

Research often involves data, and presenting this data visually can enhance understanding. This section provides an organized listing of all figures and tables in your thesis.

List-of-tables-and-figures-in-a-thesis

It's a visual index, ensuring that readers can quickly locate and reference your graphical data.

Introduction

Here's where you introduce your research topic, articulate the research question or objective, and outline the significance of your study.

Introduction-section-of-a-thesis

  • Present the research topic : Clearly articulate the central theme or subject of your research.
  • Background information : Ground your research topic, providing any necessary context or background information your readers might need to understand the significance of your study.
  • Define the scope : Clearly delineate the boundaries of your research, indicating what will and won't be covered.
  • Literature review : Introduce any relevant existing research on your topic, situating your work within the broader academic conversation and highlighting where your research fits in.
  • State the research Question(s) or objective(s) : Clearly articulate the primary questions or objectives your research aims to address.
  • Outline the study's structure : Give a brief overview of how the subsequent sections of your work will unfold, guiding your readers through the journey ahead.

The introduction should captivate your readers, making them eager to delve deeper into your research journey.

Literature review section

Your study correlates with existing research. Therefore, in the literature review section, you'll engage in a dialogue with existing knowledge, highlighting relevant studies, theories, and findings.

Literature-review-section-thesis

It's here that you identify gaps in the current knowledge, positioning your research as a bridge to new insights.

To streamline this process, consider leveraging AI tools. For example, the SciSpace literature review tool enables you to efficiently explore and delve into research papers, simplifying your literature review journey.

Methodology

In the research methodology section, you’ll detail the tools, techniques, and processes you employed to gather and analyze data. This section will inform the readers about how you approached your research questions and ensures the reproducibility of your study.

Methodology-section-thesis

Here's a breakdown of what it should encompass:

  • Research Design : Describe the overall structure and approach of your research. Are you conducting a qualitative study with in-depth interviews? Or is it a quantitative study using statistical analysis? Perhaps it's a mixed-methods approach?
  • Data Collection : Detail the methods you used to gather data. This could include surveys, experiments, observations, interviews, archival research, etc. Mention where you sourced your data, the duration of data collection, and any tools or instruments used.
  • Sampling : If applicable, explain how you selected participants or data sources for your study. Discuss the size of your sample and the rationale behind choosing it.
  • Data Analysis : Describe the techniques and tools you used to process and analyze the data. This could range from statistical tests in quantitative research to thematic analysis in qualitative research.
  • Validity and Reliability : Address the steps you took to ensure the validity and reliability of your findings to ensure that your results are both accurate and consistent.
  • Ethical Considerations : Highlight any ethical issues related to your research and the measures you took to address them, including — informed consent, confidentiality, and data storage and protection measures.

Moreover, different research questions necessitate different types of methodologies. For instance:

  • Experimental methodology : Often used in sciences, this involves a controlled experiment to discern causality.
  • Qualitative methodology : Employed when exploring patterns or phenomena without numerical data. Methods can include interviews, focus groups, or content analysis.
  • Quantitative methodology : Concerned with measurable data and often involves statistical analysis. Surveys and structured observations are common tools here.
  • Mixed methods : As the name implies, this combines both qualitative and quantitative methodologies.

The Methodology section isn’t just about detailing the methods but also justifying why they were chosen. The appropriateness of the methods in addressing your research question can significantly impact the credibility of your findings.

Results (or Findings)

This section presents the outcomes of your research. It's crucial to note that the nature of your results may vary; they could be quantitative, qualitative, or a mix of both.

Results-section-thesis

Quantitative results often present statistical data, showcasing measurable outcomes, and they benefit from tables, graphs, and figures to depict these data points.

Qualitative results , on the other hand, might delve into patterns, themes, or narratives derived from non-numerical data, such as interviews or observations.

Regardless of the nature of your results, clarity is essential. This section is purely about presenting the data without offering interpretations — that comes later in the discussion.

In the discussion section, the raw data transforms into valuable insights.

Start by revisiting your research question and contrast it with the findings. How do your results expand, constrict, or challenge current academic conversations?

Dive into the intricacies of the data, guiding the reader through its implications. Detail potential limitations transparently, signaling your awareness of the research's boundaries. This is where your academic voice should be resonant and confident.

Practical implications (Recommendation) section

Based on the insights derived from your research, this section provides actionable suggestions or proposed solutions.

Whether aimed at industry professionals or the general public, recommendations translate your academic findings into potential real-world actions. They help readers understand the practical implications of your work and how it can be applied to effect change or improvement in a given field.

When crafting recommendations, it's essential to ensure they're feasible and rooted in the evidence provided by your research. They shouldn't merely be aspirational but should offer a clear path forward, grounded in your findings.

The conclusion provides closure to your research narrative.

It's not merely a recap but a synthesis of your main findings and their broader implications. Reconnect with the research questions or hypotheses posited at the beginning, offering clear answers based on your findings.

Conclusion-section-thesis

Reflect on the broader contributions of your study, considering its impact on the academic community and potential real-world applications.

Lastly, the conclusion should leave your readers with a clear understanding of the value and impact of your study.

References (or Bibliography)

Every theory you've expounded upon, every data point you've cited, and every methodological precedent you've followed finds its acknowledgment here.

References-section-thesis

In references, it's crucial to ensure meticulous consistency in formatting, mirroring the specific guidelines of the chosen citation style .

Proper referencing helps to avoid plagiarism , gives credit to original ideas, and allows readers to explore topics of interest. Moreover, it situates your work within the continuum of academic knowledge.

To properly cite the sources used in the study, you can rely on online citation generator tools  to generate accurate citations!

Here’s more on how you can cite your sources.

Often, the depth of research produces a wealth of material that, while crucial, can make the core content of the thesis cumbersome. The appendix is where you mention extra information that supports your research but isn't central to the main text.

Appendices-section-thesis

Whether it's raw datasets, detailed procedural methodologies, extended case studies, or any other ancillary material, the appendices ensure that these elements are archived for reference without breaking the main narrative's flow.

For thorough researchers and readers keen on meticulous details, the appendices provide a treasure trove of insights.

Glossary (optional)

In academics, specialized terminologies, and jargon are inevitable. However, not every reader is versed in every term.

The glossary, while optional, is a critical tool for accessibility. It's a bridge ensuring that even readers from outside the discipline can access, understand, and appreciate your work.

Glossary-section-of-a-thesis

By defining complex terms and providing context, you're inviting a wider audience to engage with your research, enhancing its reach and impact.

Remember, while these components provide a structured framework, the essence of your thesis lies in the originality of your ideas, the rigor of your research, and the clarity of your presentation.

As you craft each section, keep your readers in mind, ensuring that your passion and dedication shine through every page.

Thesis examples

To further elucidate the concept of a thesis, here are illustrative examples from various fields:

Example 1 (History): Abolition, Africans, and Abstraction: the Influence of the ‘Noble Savage’ on British and French Antislavery Thought, 1787-1807 by Suchait Kahlon.
Example 2 (Climate Dynamics): Influence of external forcings on abrupt millennial-scale climate changes: a statistical modelling study by Takahito Mitsui · Michel Crucifix

Checklist for your thesis evaluation

Evaluating your thesis ensures that your research meets the standards of academia. Here's an elaborate checklist to guide you through this critical process.

Content and structure

  • Is the thesis statement clear, concise, and debatable?
  • Does the introduction provide sufficient background and context?
  • Is the literature review comprehensive, relevant, and well-organized?
  • Does the methodology section clearly describe and justify the research methods?
  • Are the results/findings presented clearly and logically?
  • Does the discussion interpret the results in light of the research question and existing literature?
  • Is the conclusion summarizing the research and suggesting future directions or implications?

Clarity and coherence

  • Is the writing clear and free of jargon?
  • Are ideas and sections logically connected and flowing?
  • Is there a clear narrative or argument throughout the thesis?

Research quality

  • Is the research question significant and relevant?
  • Are the research methods appropriate for the question?
  • Is the sample size (if applicable) adequate?
  • Are the data analysis techniques appropriate and correctly applied?
  • Are potential biases or limitations addressed?

Originality and significance

  • Does the thesis contribute new knowledge or insights to the field?
  • Is the research grounded in existing literature while offering fresh perspectives?

Formatting and presentation

  • Is the thesis formatted according to institutional guidelines?
  • Are figures, tables, and charts clear, labeled, and referenced in the text?
  • Is the bibliography or reference list complete and consistently formatted?
  • Are appendices relevant and appropriately referenced in the main text?

Grammar and language

  • Is the thesis free of grammatical and spelling errors?
  • Is the language professional, consistent, and appropriate for an academic audience?
  • Are quotations and paraphrased material correctly cited?

Feedback and revision

  • Have you sought feedback from peers, advisors, or experts in the field?
  • Have you addressed the feedback and made the necessary revisions?

Overall assessment

  • Does the thesis as a whole feel cohesive and comprehensive?
  • Would the thesis be understandable and valuable to someone in your field?

Ensure to use this checklist to leave no ground for doubt or missed information in your thesis.

After writing your thesis, the next step is to discuss and defend your findings verbally in front of a knowledgeable panel. You’ve to be well prepared as your professors may grade your presentation abilities.

Preparing your thesis defense

A thesis defense, also known as "defending the thesis," is the culmination of a scholar's research journey. It's the final frontier, where you’ll present their findings and face scrutiny from a panel of experts.

Typically, the defense involves a public presentation where you’ll have to outline your study, followed by a question-and-answer session with a committee of experts. This committee assesses the validity, originality, and significance of the research.

The defense serves as a rite of passage for scholars. It's an opportunity to showcase expertise, address criticisms, and refine arguments. A successful defense not only validates the research but also establishes your authority as a researcher in your field.

Here’s how you can effectively prepare for your thesis defense .

Now, having touched upon the process of defending a thesis, it's worth noting that scholarly work can take various forms, depending on academic and regional practices.

One such form, often paralleled with the thesis, is the 'dissertation.' But what differentiates the two?

Dissertation vs. Thesis

Often used interchangeably in casual discourse, they refer to distinct research projects undertaken at different levels of higher education.

To the uninitiated, understanding their meaning might be elusive. So, let's demystify these terms and delve into their core differences.

Here's a table differentiating between the two.

Wrapping up

From understanding the foundational concept of a thesis to navigating its various components, differentiating it from a dissertation, and recognizing the importance of proper citation — this guide covers it all.

As scholars and readers, understanding these nuances not only aids in academic pursuits but also fosters a deeper appreciation for the relentless quest for knowledge that drives academia.

It’s important to remember that every thesis is a testament to curiosity, dedication, and the indomitable spirit of discovery.

Good luck with your thesis writing!

Frequently Asked Questions

A thesis typically ranges between 40-80 pages, but its length can vary based on the research topic, institution guidelines, and level of study.

A PhD thesis usually spans 200-300 pages, though this can vary based on the discipline, complexity of the research, and institutional requirements.

To identify a thesis topic, consider current trends in your field, gaps in existing literature, personal interests, and discussions with advisors or mentors. Additionally, reviewing related journals and conference proceedings can provide insights into potential areas of exploration.

The conceptual framework is often situated in the literature review or theoretical framework section of a thesis. It helps set the stage by providing the context, defining key concepts, and explaining the relationships between variables.

A thesis statement should be concise, clear, and specific. It should state the main argument or point of your research. Start by pinpointing the central question or issue your research addresses, then condense that into a single statement, ensuring it reflects the essence of your paper.

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How To Write An Argumentative Essay

Think of yourself as a member of a jury, listening to a lawyer who is presenting an opening argument. You'll want to know very soon whether the lawyer believes the accused to be guilty or not guilty, and how the lawyer plans to convince you. Readers of academic essays are like jury members: before they have read too far, they want to know what the essay argues as well as how the writer plans to make the argument. After reading your thesis statement, the reader should think, "This essay is going to try to convince me of something. I'm not convinced yet, but I'm interested to see how I might be."

An effective thesis cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no." A thesis is not a topic; nor is it a fact; nor is it an opinion. "Reasons for the fall of communism" is a topic. "Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe" is a fact known by educated people. "The fall of communism is the best thing that ever happened in Europe" is an opinion. (Superlatives like "the best" almost always lead to trouble. It's impossible to weigh every "thing" that ever happened in Europe. And what about the fall of Hitler? Couldn't that be "the best thing"?)

A good thesis has two parts. It should tell what you plan to argue, and it should "telegraph" how you plan to argue—that is, what particular support for your claim is going where in your essay.

Steps in Constructing a Thesis

First, analyze your primary sources.  Look for tension, interest, ambiguity, controversy, and/or complication. Does the author contradict himself or herself? Is a point made and later reversed? What are the deeper implications of the author's argument? Figuring out the why to one or more of these questions, or to related questions, will put you on the path to developing a working thesis. (Without the why, you probably have only come up with an observation—that there are, for instance, many different metaphors in such-and-such a poem—which is not a thesis.)

Once you have a working thesis, write it down.  There is nothing as frustrating as hitting on a great idea for a thesis, then forgetting it when you lose concentration. And by writing down your thesis you will be forced to think of it clearly, logically, and concisely. You probably will not be able to write out a final-draft version of your thesis the first time you try, but you'll get yourself on the right track by writing down what you have.

Keep your thesis prominent in your introduction.  A good, standard place for your thesis statement is at the end of an introductory paragraph, especially in shorter (5-15 page) essays. Readers are used to finding theses there, so they automatically pay more attention when they read the last sentence of your introduction. Although this is not required in all academic essays, it is a good rule of thumb.

Anticipate the counterarguments.  Once you have a working thesis, you should think about what might be said against it. This will help you to refine your thesis, and it will also make you think of the arguments that you'll need to refute later on in your essay. (Every argument has a counterargument. If yours doesn't, then it's not an argument—it may be a fact, or an opinion, but it is not an argument.)

This statement is on its way to being a thesis. However, it is too easy to imagine possible counterarguments. For example, a political observer might believe that Dukakis lost because he suffered from a "soft-on-crime" image. If you complicate your thesis by anticipating the counterargument, you'll strengthen your argument, as shown in the sentence below.

Some Caveats and Some Examples

A thesis is never a question.  Readers of academic essays expect to have questions discussed, explored, or even answered. A question ("Why did communism collapse in Eastern Europe?") is not an argument, and without an argument, a thesis is dead in the water.

A thesis is never a list.  "For political, economic, social and cultural reasons, communism collapsed in Eastern Europe" does a good job of "telegraphing" the reader what to expect in the essay—a section about political reasons, a section about economic reasons, a section about social reasons, and a section about cultural reasons. However, political, economic, social and cultural reasons are pretty much the only possible reasons why communism could collapse. This sentence lacks tension and doesn't advance an argument. Everyone knows that politics, economics, and culture are important.

A thesis should never be vague, combative or confrontational.  An ineffective thesis would be, "Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe because communism is evil." This is hard to argue (evil from whose perspective? what does evil mean?) and it is likely to mark you as moralistic and judgmental rather than rational and thorough. It also may spark a defensive reaction from readers sympathetic to communism. If readers strongly disagree with you right off the bat, they may stop reading.

An effective thesis has a definable, arguable claim.  "While cultural forces contributed to the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, the disintegration of economies played the key role in driving its decline" is an effective thesis sentence that "telegraphs," so that the reader expects the essay to have a section about cultural forces and another about the disintegration of economies. This thesis makes a definite, arguable claim: that the disintegration of economies played a more important role than cultural forces in defeating communism in Eastern Europe. The reader would react to this statement by thinking, "Perhaps what the author says is true, but I am not convinced. I want to read further to see how the author argues this claim."

A thesis should be as clear and specific as possible.  Avoid overused, general terms and abstractions. For example, "Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe because of the ruling elite's inability to address the economic concerns of the people" is more powerful than "Communism collapsed due to societal discontent."

Copyright 1999, Maxine Rodburg and The Tutors of the Writing Center at Harvard University

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What’s Covered:

What is the purpose of a thesis statement, writing a good thesis statement: 4 steps, common pitfalls to avoid, where to get your essay edited for free.

When you set out to write an essay, there has to be some kind of point to it, right? Otherwise, your essay would just be a big jumble of word salad that makes absolutely no sense. An essay needs a central point that ties into everything else. That main point is called a thesis statement, and it’s the core of any essay or research paper.

You may hear about Master degree candidates writing a thesis, and that is an entire paper–not to be confused with the thesis statement, which is typically one sentence that contains your paper’s focus. 

Read on to learn more about thesis statements and how to write them. We’ve also included some solid examples for you to reference.

Typically the last sentence of your introductory paragraph, the thesis statement serves as the roadmap for your essay. When your reader gets to the thesis statement, they should have a clear outline of your main point, as well as the information you’ll be presenting in order to either prove or support your point. 

The thesis statement should not be confused for a topic sentence , which is the first sentence of every paragraph in your essay. If you need help writing topic sentences, numerous resources are available. Topic sentences should go along with your thesis statement, though.

Since the thesis statement is the most important sentence of your entire essay or paper, it’s imperative that you get this part right. Otherwise, your paper will not have a good flow and will seem disjointed. That’s why it’s vital not to rush through developing one. It’s a methodical process with steps that you need to follow in order to create the best thesis statement possible.

Step 1: Decide what kind of paper you’re writing

When you’re assigned an essay, there are several different types you may get. Argumentative essays are designed to get the reader to agree with you on a topic. Informative or expository essays present information to the reader. Analytical essays offer up a point and then expand on it by analyzing relevant information. Thesis statements can look and sound different based on the type of paper you’re writing. For example:

  • Argumentative: The United States needs a viable third political party to decrease bipartisanship, increase options, and help reduce corruption in government.
  • Informative: The Libertarian party has thrown off elections before by gaining enough support in states to get on the ballot and by taking away crucial votes from candidates.
  • Analytical: An analysis of past presidential elections shows that while third party votes may have been the minority, they did affect the outcome of the elections in 2020, 2016, and beyond.

Step 2: Figure out what point you want to make

Once you know what type of paper you’re writing, you then need to figure out the point you want to make with your thesis statement, and subsequently, your paper. In other words, you need to decide to answer a question about something, such as:

  • What impact did reality TV have on American society?
  • How has the musical Hamilton affected perception of American history?
  • Why do I want to major in [chosen major here]?

If you have an argumentative essay, then you will be writing about an opinion. To make it easier, you may want to choose an opinion that you feel passionate about so that you’re writing about something that interests you. For example, if you have an interest in preserving the environment, you may want to choose a topic that relates to that. 

If you’re writing your college essay and they ask why you want to attend that school, you may want to have a main point and back it up with information, something along the lines of:

“Attending Harvard University would benefit me both academically and professionally, as it would give me a strong knowledge base upon which to build my career, develop my network, and hopefully give me an advantage in my chosen field.”

Step 3: Determine what information you’ll use to back up your point

Once you have the point you want to make, you need to figure out how you plan to back it up throughout the rest of your essay. Without this information, it will be hard to either prove or argue the main point of your thesis statement. If you decide to write about the Hamilton example, you may decide to address any falsehoods that the writer put into the musical, such as:

“The musical Hamilton, while accurate in many ways, leaves out key parts of American history, presents a nationalist view of founding fathers, and downplays the racism of the times.”

Once you’ve written your initial working thesis statement, you’ll then need to get information to back that up. For example, the musical completely leaves out Benjamin Franklin, portrays the founding fathers in a nationalist way that is too complimentary, and shows Hamilton as a staunch abolitionist despite the fact that his family likely did own slaves. 

Step 4: Revise and refine your thesis statement before you start writing

Read through your thesis statement several times before you begin to compose your full essay. You need to make sure the statement is ironclad, since it is the foundation of the entire paper. Edit it or have a peer review it for you to make sure everything makes sense and that you feel like you can truly write a paper on the topic. Once you’ve done that, you can then begin writing your paper.

When writing a thesis statement, there are some common pitfalls you should avoid so that your paper can be as solid as possible. Make sure you always edit the thesis statement before you do anything else. You also want to ensure that the thesis statement is clear and concise. Don’t make your reader hunt for your point. Finally, put your thesis statement at the end of the first paragraph and have your introduction flow toward that statement. Your reader will expect to find your statement in its traditional spot.

If you’re having trouble getting started, or need some guidance on your essay, there are tools available that can help you. CollegeVine offers a free peer essay review tool where one of your peers can read through your essay and provide you with valuable feedback. Getting essay feedback from a peer can help you wow your instructor or college admissions officer with an impactful essay that effectively illustrates your point.

good luck for your thesis

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good luck for your thesis

Grad Coach

How To Write A Dissertation Or Thesis

8 straightforward steps to craft an a-grade dissertation.

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) Expert Reviewed By: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | June 2020

Writing a dissertation or thesis is not a simple task. It takes time, energy and a lot of will power to get you across the finish line. It’s not easy – but it doesn’t necessarily need to be a painful process. If you understand the big-picture process of how to write a dissertation or thesis, your research journey will be a lot smoother.  

In this post, I’m going to outline the big-picture process of how to write a high-quality dissertation or thesis, without losing your mind along the way. If you’re just starting your research, this post is perfect for you. Alternatively, if you’ve already submitted your proposal, this article which covers how to structure a dissertation might be more helpful.

How To Write A Dissertation: 8 Steps

  • Clearly understand what a dissertation (or thesis) is
  • Find a unique and valuable research topic
  • Craft a convincing research proposal
  • Write up a strong introduction chapter
  • Review the existing literature and compile a literature review
  • Design a rigorous research strategy and undertake your own research
  • Present the findings of your research
  • Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications

Start writing your dissertation

Step 1: Understand exactly what a dissertation is

This probably sounds like a no-brainer, but all too often, students come to us for help with their research and the underlying issue is that they don’t fully understand what a dissertation (or thesis) actually is.

So, what is a dissertation?

At its simplest, a dissertation or thesis is a formal piece of research , reflecting the standard research process . But what is the standard research process, you ask? The research process involves 4 key steps:

  • Ask a very specific, well-articulated question (s) (your research topic)
  • See what other researchers have said about it (if they’ve already answered it)
  • If they haven’t answered it adequately, undertake your own data collection and analysis in a scientifically rigorous fashion
  • Answer your original question(s), based on your analysis findings

 A dissertation or thesis is a formal piece of research, reflecting the standard four step academic research process.

In short, the research process is simply about asking and answering questions in a systematic fashion . This probably sounds pretty obvious, but people often think they’ve done “research”, when in fact what they have done is:

  • Started with a vague, poorly articulated question
  • Not taken the time to see what research has already been done regarding the question
  • Collected data and opinions that support their gut and undertaken a flimsy analysis
  • Drawn a shaky conclusion, based on that analysis

If you want to see the perfect example of this in action, look out for the next Facebook post where someone claims they’ve done “research”… All too often, people consider reading a few blog posts to constitute research. Its no surprise then that what they end up with is an opinion piece, not research. Okay, okay – I’ll climb off my soapbox now.

The key takeaway here is that a dissertation (or thesis) is a formal piece of research, reflecting the research process. It’s not an opinion piece , nor a place to push your agenda or try to convince someone of your position. Writing a good dissertation involves asking a question and taking a systematic, rigorous approach to answering it.

If you understand this and are comfortable leaving your opinions or preconceived ideas at the door, you’re already off to a good start!

 A dissertation is not an opinion piece, nor a place to push your agenda or try to  convince someone of your position.

Step 2: Find a unique, valuable research topic

As we saw, the first step of the research process is to ask a specific, well-articulated question. In other words, you need to find a research topic that asks a specific question or set of questions (these are called research questions ). Sounds easy enough, right? All you’ve got to do is identify a question or two and you’ve got a winning research topic. Well, not quite…

A good dissertation or thesis topic has a few important attributes. Specifically, a solid research topic should be:

Let’s take a closer look at these:

Attribute #1: Clear

Your research topic needs to be crystal clear about what you’re planning to research, what you want to know, and within what context. There shouldn’t be any ambiguity or vagueness about what you’ll research.

Here’s an example of a clearly articulated research topic:

An analysis of consumer-based factors influencing organisational trust in British low-cost online equity brokerage firms.

As you can see in the example, its crystal clear what will be analysed (factors impacting organisational trust), amongst who (consumers) and in what context (British low-cost equity brokerage firms, based online).

Need a helping hand?

good luck for your thesis

Attribute #2:   Unique

Your research should be asking a question(s) that hasn’t been asked before, or that hasn’t been asked in a specific context (for example, in a specific country or industry).

For example, sticking organisational trust topic above, it’s quite likely that organisational trust factors in the UK have been investigated before, but the context (online low-cost equity brokerages) could make this research unique. Therefore, the context makes this research original.

One caveat when using context as the basis for originality – you need to have a good reason to suspect that your findings in this context might be different from the existing research – otherwise, there’s no reason to warrant researching it.

Attribute #3: Important

Simply asking a unique or original question is not enough – the question needs to create value. In other words, successfully answering your research questions should provide some value to the field of research or the industry. You can’t research something just to satisfy your curiosity. It needs to make some form of contribution either to research or industry.

For example, researching the factors influencing consumer trust would create value by enabling businesses to tailor their operations and marketing to leverage factors that promote trust. In other words, it would have a clear benefit to industry.

So, how do you go about finding a unique and valuable research topic? We explain that in detail in this video post – How To Find A Research Topic . Yeah, we’ve got you covered 😊

Step 3: Write a convincing research proposal

Once you’ve pinned down a high-quality research topic, the next step is to convince your university to let you research it. No matter how awesome you think your topic is, it still needs to get the rubber stamp before you can move forward with your research. The research proposal is the tool you’ll use for this job.

So, what’s in a research proposal?

The main “job” of a research proposal is to convince your university, advisor or committee that your research topic is worthy of approval. But convince them of what? Well, this varies from university to university, but generally, they want to see that:

  • You have a clearly articulated, unique and important topic (this might sound familiar…)
  • You’ve done some initial reading of the existing literature relevant to your topic (i.e. a literature review)
  • You have a provisional plan in terms of how you will collect data and analyse it (i.e. a methodology)

At the proposal stage, it’s (generally) not expected that you’ve extensively reviewed the existing literature , but you will need to show that you’ve done enough reading to identify a clear gap for original (unique) research. Similarly, they generally don’t expect that you have a rock-solid research methodology mapped out, but you should have an idea of whether you’ll be undertaking qualitative or quantitative analysis , and how you’ll collect your data (we’ll discuss this in more detail later).

Long story short – don’t stress about having every detail of your research meticulously thought out at the proposal stage – this will develop as you progress through your research. However, you do need to show that you’ve “done your homework” and that your research is worthy of approval .

So, how do you go about crafting a high-quality, convincing proposal? We cover that in detail in this video post – How To Write A Top-Class Research Proposal . We’ve also got a video walkthrough of two proposal examples here .

Step 4: Craft a strong introduction chapter

Once your proposal’s been approved, its time to get writing your actual dissertation or thesis! The good news is that if you put the time into crafting a high-quality proposal, you’ve already got a head start on your first three chapters – introduction, literature review and methodology – as you can use your proposal as the basis for these.

Handy sidenote – our free dissertation & thesis template is a great way to speed up your dissertation writing journey.

What’s the introduction chapter all about?

The purpose of the introduction chapter is to set the scene for your research (dare I say, to introduce it…) so that the reader understands what you’ll be researching and why it’s important. In other words, it covers the same ground as the research proposal in that it justifies your research topic.

What goes into the introduction chapter?

This can vary slightly between universities and degrees, but generally, the introduction chapter will include the following:

  • A brief background to the study, explaining the overall area of research
  • A problem statement , explaining what the problem is with the current state of research (in other words, where the knowledge gap exists)
  • Your research questions – in other words, the specific questions your study will seek to answer (based on the knowledge gap)
  • The significance of your study – in other words, why it’s important and how its findings will be useful in the world

As you can see, this all about explaining the “what” and the “why” of your research (as opposed to the “how”). So, your introduction chapter is basically the salesman of your study, “selling” your research to the first-time reader and (hopefully) getting them interested to read more.

How do I write the introduction chapter, you ask? We cover that in detail in this post .

The introduction chapter is where you set the scene for your research, detailing exactly what you’ll be researching and why it’s important.

Step 5: Undertake an in-depth literature review

As I mentioned earlier, you’ll need to do some initial review of the literature in Steps 2 and 3 to find your research gap and craft a convincing research proposal – but that’s just scratching the surface. Once you reach the literature review stage of your dissertation or thesis, you need to dig a lot deeper into the existing research and write up a comprehensive literature review chapter.

What’s the literature review all about?

There are two main stages in the literature review process:

Literature Review Step 1: Reading up

The first stage is for you to deep dive into the existing literature (journal articles, textbook chapters, industry reports, etc) to gain an in-depth understanding of the current state of research regarding your topic. While you don’t need to read every single article, you do need to ensure that you cover all literature that is related to your core research questions, and create a comprehensive catalogue of that literature , which you’ll use in the next step.

Reading and digesting all the relevant literature is a time consuming and intellectually demanding process. Many students underestimate just how much work goes into this step, so make sure that you allocate a good amount of time for this when planning out your research. Thankfully, there are ways to fast track the process – be sure to check out this article covering how to read journal articles quickly .

Dissertation Coaching

Literature Review Step 2: Writing up

Once you’ve worked through the literature and digested it all, you’ll need to write up your literature review chapter. Many students make the mistake of thinking that the literature review chapter is simply a summary of what other researchers have said. While this is partly true, a literature review is much more than just a summary. To pull off a good literature review chapter, you’ll need to achieve at least 3 things:

  • You need to synthesise the existing research , not just summarise it. In other words, you need to show how different pieces of theory fit together, what’s agreed on by researchers, what’s not.
  • You need to highlight a research gap that your research is going to fill. In other words, you’ve got to outline the problem so that your research topic can provide a solution.
  • You need to use the existing research to inform your methodology and approach to your own research design. For example, you might use questions or Likert scales from previous studies in your your own survey design .

As you can see, a good literature review is more than just a summary of the published research. It’s the foundation on which your own research is built, so it deserves a lot of love and attention. Take the time to craft a comprehensive literature review with a suitable structure .

But, how do I actually write the literature review chapter, you ask? We cover that in detail in this video post .

Step 6: Carry out your own research

Once you’ve completed your literature review and have a sound understanding of the existing research, its time to develop your own research (finally!). You’ll design this research specifically so that you can find the answers to your unique research question.

There are two steps here – designing your research strategy and executing on it:

1 – Design your research strategy

The first step is to design your research strategy and craft a methodology chapter . I won’t get into the technicalities of the methodology chapter here, but in simple terms, this chapter is about explaining the “how” of your research. If you recall, the introduction and literature review chapters discussed the “what” and the “why”, so it makes sense that the next point to cover is the “how” –that’s what the methodology chapter is all about.

In this section, you’ll need to make firm decisions about your research design. This includes things like:

  • Your research philosophy (e.g. positivism or interpretivism )
  • Your overall methodology (e.g. qualitative , quantitative or mixed methods)
  • Your data collection strategy (e.g. interviews , focus groups, surveys)
  • Your data analysis strategy (e.g. content analysis , correlation analysis, regression)

If these words have got your head spinning, don’t worry! We’ll explain these in plain language in other posts. It’s not essential that you understand the intricacies of research design (yet!). The key takeaway here is that you’ll need to make decisions about how you’ll design your own research, and you’ll need to describe (and justify) your decisions in your methodology chapter.

2 – Execute: Collect and analyse your data

Once you’ve worked out your research design, you’ll put it into action and start collecting your data. This might mean undertaking interviews, hosting an online survey or any other data collection method. Data collection can take quite a bit of time (especially if you host in-person interviews), so be sure to factor sufficient time into your project plan for this. Oftentimes, things don’t go 100% to plan (for example, you don’t get as many survey responses as you hoped for), so bake a little extra time into your budget here.

Once you’ve collected your data, you’ll need to do some data preparation before you can sink your teeth into the analysis. For example:

  • If you carry out interviews or focus groups, you’ll need to transcribe your audio data to text (i.e. a Word document).
  • If you collect quantitative survey data, you’ll need to clean up your data and get it into the right format for whichever analysis software you use (for example, SPSS, R or STATA).

Once you’ve completed your data prep, you’ll undertake your analysis, using the techniques that you described in your methodology. Depending on what you find in your analysis, you might also do some additional forms of analysis that you hadn’t planned for. For example, you might see something in the data that raises new questions or that requires clarification with further analysis.

The type(s) of analysis that you’ll use depend entirely on the nature of your research and your research questions. For example:

  • If your research if exploratory in nature, you’ll often use qualitative analysis techniques .
  • If your research is confirmatory in nature, you’ll often use quantitative analysis techniques
  • If your research involves a mix of both, you might use a mixed methods approach

Again, if these words have got your head spinning, don’t worry! We’ll explain these concepts and techniques in other posts. The key takeaway is simply that there’s no “one size fits all” for research design and methodology – it all depends on your topic, your research questions and your data. So, don’t be surprised if your study colleagues take a completely different approach to yours.

The research philosophy is at the core of the methodology chapter

Step 7: Present your findings

Once you’ve completed your analysis, it’s time to present your findings (finally!). In a dissertation or thesis, you’ll typically present your findings in two chapters – the results chapter and the discussion chapter .

What’s the difference between the results chapter and the discussion chapter?

While these two chapters are similar, the results chapter generally just presents the processed data neatly and clearly without interpretation, while the discussion chapter explains the story the data are telling  – in other words, it provides your interpretation of the results.

For example, if you were researching the factors that influence consumer trust, you might have used a quantitative approach to identify the relationship between potential factors (e.g. perceived integrity and competence of the organisation) and consumer trust. In this case:

  • Your results chapter would just present the results of the statistical tests. For example, correlation results or differences between groups. In other words, the processed numbers.
  • Your discussion chapter would explain what the numbers mean in relation to your research question(s). For example, Factor 1 has a weak relationship with consumer trust, while Factor 2 has a strong relationship.

Depending on the university and degree, these two chapters (results and discussion) are sometimes merged into one , so be sure to check with your institution what their preference is. Regardless of the chapter structure, this section is about presenting the findings of your research in a clear, easy to understand fashion.

Importantly, your discussion here needs to link back to your research questions (which you outlined in the introduction or literature review chapter). In other words, it needs to answer the key questions you asked (or at least attempt to answer them).

For example, if we look at the sample research topic:

In this case, the discussion section would clearly outline which factors seem to have a noteworthy influence on organisational trust. By doing so, they are answering the overarching question and fulfilling the purpose of the research .

Your discussion here needs to link back to your research questions. It needs to answer the key questions you asked in your introduction.

For more information about the results chapter , check out this post for qualitative studies and this post for quantitative studies .

Step 8: The Final Step Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications

Last but not least, you’ll need to wrap up your research with the conclusion chapter . In this chapter, you’ll bring your research full circle by highlighting the key findings of your study and explaining what the implications of these findings are.

What exactly are key findings? The key findings are those findings which directly relate to your original research questions and overall research objectives (which you discussed in your introduction chapter). The implications, on the other hand, explain what your findings mean for industry, or for research in your area.

Sticking with the consumer trust topic example, the conclusion might look something like this:

Key findings

This study set out to identify which factors influence consumer-based trust in British low-cost online equity brokerage firms. The results suggest that the following factors have a large impact on consumer trust:

While the following factors have a very limited impact on consumer trust:

Notably, within the 25-30 age groups, Factors E had a noticeably larger impact, which may be explained by…

Implications

The findings having noteworthy implications for British low-cost online equity brokers. Specifically:

The large impact of Factors X and Y implies that brokers need to consider….

The limited impact of Factor E implies that brokers need to…

As you can see, the conclusion chapter is basically explaining the “what” (what your study found) and the “so what?” (what the findings mean for the industry or research). This brings the study full circle and closes off the document.

In the final chapter, you’ll bring your research full circle by highlighting the key findings of your study and the implications thereof.

Let’s recap – how to write a dissertation or thesis

You’re still with me? Impressive! I know that this post was a long one, but hopefully you’ve learnt a thing or two about how to write a dissertation or thesis, and are now better equipped to start your own research.

To recap, the 8 steps to writing a quality dissertation (or thesis) are as follows:

  • Understand what a dissertation (or thesis) is – a research project that follows the research process.
  • Find a unique (original) and important research topic
  • Craft a convincing dissertation or thesis research proposal
  • Write a clear, compelling introduction chapter
  • Undertake a thorough review of the existing research and write up a literature review
  • Undertake your own research
  • Present and interpret your findings

Once you’ve wrapped up the core chapters, all that’s typically left is the abstract , reference list and appendices. As always, be sure to check with your university if they have any additional requirements in terms of structure or content.  

good luck for your thesis

Psst... there’s more!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

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20 Comments

Romia

thankfull >>>this is very useful

Madhu

Thank you, it was really helpful

Elhadi Abdelrahim

unquestionably, this amazing simplified way of teaching. Really , I couldn’t find in the literature words that fully explicit my great thanks to you. However, I could only say thanks a-lot.

Derek Jansen

Great to hear that – thanks for the feedback. Good luck writing your dissertation/thesis.

Writer

This is the most comprehensive explanation of how to write a dissertation. Many thanks for sharing it free of charge.

Sam

Very rich presentation. Thank you

Hailu

Thanks Derek Jansen|GRADCOACH, I find it very useful guide to arrange my activities and proceed to research!

Nunurayi Tambala

Thank you so much for such a marvelous teaching .I am so convinced that am going to write a comprehensive and a distinct masters dissertation

Hussein Huwail

It is an amazing comprehensive explanation

Eva

This was straightforward. Thank you!

Ken

I can say that your explanations are simple and enlightening – understanding what you have done here is easy for me. Could you write more about the different types of research methods specific to the three methodologies: quan, qual and MM. I look forward to interacting with this website more in the future.

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions 🙂

Osasuyi Blessing

Hello, your write ups is quite educative. However, l have challenges in going about my research questions which is below; *Building the enablers of organisational growth through effective governance and purposeful leadership.*

Dung Doh

Very educating.

Ezra Daniel

Just listening to the name of the dissertation makes the student nervous. As writing a top-quality dissertation is a difficult task as it is a lengthy topic, requires a lot of research and understanding and is usually around 10,000 to 15000 words. Sometimes due to studies, unbalanced workload or lack of research and writing skill students look for dissertation submission from professional writers.

Nice Edinam Hoyah

Thank you 💕😊 very much. I was confused but your comprehensive explanation has cleared my doubts of ever presenting a good thesis. Thank you.

Sehauli

thank you so much, that was so useful

Daniel Madsen

Hi. Where is the excel spread sheet ark?

Emmanuel kKoko

could you please help me look at your thesis paper to enable me to do the portion that has to do with the specification

my topic is “the impact of domestic revenue mobilization.

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Amy Green PhD

Tips for Surviving (and Thriving in) Your Psychology Thesis

A little planning and consistency can make it all a lot less painful..

Posted May 8, 2020

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Writing (and defending) a thesis or dissertation can be a daunting process. However, some careful planning and consistency can make it all a lot less painful. Better yet, it can be actually pretty rewarding.

Having just gone through the writing and defending process myself, I’ve reflected on 16 of the lessons I learned along the way:

1. Read other theses and dissertations. I cannot stress enough how helpful it is to scan other finished documents to get a sense of what makes a strong (and less strong) body of work. You’ll also learn about different ways to structure your document and what kinds of sections to include. Search for research that is related to your topic, methodology, and epistemology to see how other students have approached these areas.

2. Don’t underestimate the literature review. By the time students reach graduate school, it’s expected that they know how to write a solid literature review. However, Boote and Beile (2005) argued that many students have never actually been taught how to compose a critical synthesis of the literature. They argued that students need to become “scholars before researchers”; that is, instead of offering simple summaries of existing studies, it is important to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the body of work. They proffer further that this step is critical to identify important research problems.

Not totally sure where to start with your review? Don’t be too hard on yourself – Boote and Beile argued that few faculty members have even mastered the task. I recommend tracking down some resources on how to write a good literature review; try Galvan and Galvan’s (2017) book, Writing Literature Reviews: A Guide for Students of the Social and Behavioral Sciences.

3. Know your APA style. Buy the Publication Manual . Learn to love it. (I also like the Purdue Online Writing Lab if you need to look up a rule in a hurry.)

4. Cite mindfully. Your supervisor can help you identify a few key articles that will be critical to cite in your document; for example, seminal works or the most recent contributions to your area. While it’s important to ensure that you’re citing the most up-to-date studies in your literature review (e.g., those published in the past 10 years), it is also essential to acknowledge the early scholars who paved the way for your work. Be careful to not only cite “supportive sources”; your committee will expect you to discuss opposing views. Carefully explaining how your work intentionally departs from these studies will strengthen your arguments.

It has been well-documented that women and authors of colour are cited less frequently than men or white authors (Davis & Craven, 2016). Thus, as feminist anthropologists Davis and Craven (2016) argued, “it is important to keep in mind that who we cite – and equally important who we do not cite – shapes our projects in important ways” (p. 66). Especially if you are engaging in feminist or critical research, it becomes “our business to seek out, and incorporate, innovative research from scholars whose work is often ignored because of structural inequities” (p. 67).

5. Try not to over-quote other authors. I used to be a chronic over-quoter. However, I received enough feedback from enough different professors to finally quell this habit. Using too many direct quotations not only prevents you from using your own critical thinking skills, but it also reduces your credibility as an analytical, innovative researcher. Save your direct quotes for the real “gems” and remember that paraphrasing is your friend.

6. Remember that editing is easier than writing . Get your thoughts down without worrying too much (at first, that is) about style and grammar. Author Anne Lamott (2005) wrote that perfectionism is the “main obstacle between you and a sh*tty first draft” (p. 27). And that’s what most first drafts are. But once you’ve crossed that first big hurtle, it’s easier to face the less-daunting task of editing and fine-tuning.

7. Craft your document like you’re preparing for your defense. With every decision you make (e.g., how many participants to include, your methodology, even your title), ask yourself why. Even if you’re not including these “whys” in your document, jot down your answers and save them to refer back to when you are prepping for your defense. You’ll thank yourself later on!

good luck for your thesis

8. Update your reference list as you go. Nothing is more frustrating than forgetting where you found a certain reference or from which page you took a quote. Keeping up with your references diligently as you go saves unnecessary work later on (again, your future self will thank you!).

9. Overcome procrastination . Unfortunately, waiting to feel inspired to work on your dissertation is (typically) a futile exercise. Instead, scheduling time to work each day helps keep you on track and your mind in the game. Princeton University has offered some good tips for understanding and overcoming procrastination; I also like the Pomodoro technique and ensuring at least some of my work time is “unplugged.”

10. Refer to your epistemology throughout . Your epistemology shouldn’t just be something that is stated in your intro and promptly forgotten about. It is the heart of your research; your understanding of what makes something true. As such, it should inform everything from your methodology to your epigraph to how you position yourself in your work.

11. Keep a research journal. Jot down all of your decisions and “aha” moments. Document the things that challenge you, the things that surprise you, the things you’re proud of, and the things you would have done differently. You never know what might be useful material when it comes to crafting your discussion or preparing for a conference presentation.

12. Prepare your elevator speech. Be able to discuss your topic in layman terms in three minutes or less. This exercise is incredibly useful for understanding your work in a concise and useable way.

13. Proofread with fresh eyes . Once you’ve finished a draft of each chapter or section, leave it for a day or two (deadlines permitting) to review it with a new perspective. Do the same once you’re done the entire document. Proofreading printed pages is often easier than electronic versions to catch those pesky typos.

14. Find some editors. We can get so “close” to our research that we miss our blind-spots. I recommended asking (or kindly bribing) both “insiders” (like a classmate) and “outsiders” (like a friend in a totally different field) to read your work, to get a different set of perspectives.

15. Be kind to yourself. It’s a cheesy but important one. This is likely your first time tackling a research project of this size. You’re going to feel frustrated, overwhelmed, and confused at times. Take a deep breath and keep in mind that this is all part of the process. Remember that writing your thesis or dissertation should never trump all other aspects of your self-care; taking care of your physical wellbeing, relationships, and mental health are always priorities.

16. Find meaning in the process. It’s OK if your thesis or dissertation doesn’t represent your lifelong passion or ultimate life purpose. If academia is your long-term goal, you have your entire career to refine your program of study. And if research is absolutely not in the long-term cards for you, then seeing your thesis as a means to an end is OK, too. That said, finding a way to make the process meaningful will makes things a lot more enjoyable. Although a good thesis is a done thesis, your research also has the opportunity to contribute to theory, practice, and policy in important ways – so try not to underestimate your ability to create a really meaningful body of work.

Boote, D. N., & Beile, P. (2005). Scholars before researchers: On the centrality of the dissertation literature review in research preparation. Educational Researcher, 32(6), 3-15. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X034006003

Davis, D., & Craven, C. (2016). Feminist ethnography: Thinking through methodologies, challenges, and possibilities. Rowman & Littlefield.

Galvan, J. L., & Galvan, M. (2017). Writing literature reviews: A guide for students of the social and behavioral sciences (Vol. 7). Taylor & Francis.

Lamott, A. (1995). Bird by bird: Some instructions on writing and life. Anchor.

Amy Green PhD

Amy Green, M.A., is a doctoral student in Counselling Psychology at the University of Calgary.

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Best Wishes for PhD Defence or Viva

Getting to climb the ladder in academics requires a lot of diligence, discipline and determination. So when you hear that someone has achieved a doctorate degree, you should begin to look at the amount of effort and years put into it before getting that title. Celebrating our loved ones with beautiful messages for accomplishment for doctorate degree is therefore in order.

For a loved preparing for this last exercise before scaling through the hurdle of getting the very highest degree recognized anywhere in the world, you should wish the person success in their forthcoming defence or viva. A viva or PhD defence may be the last mountain to climb before getting a doctorate degree and it is accompanied by a lot of tension and stress. So, success wishes for someone facing an academic defence for a degree is suitable to ease their nerves and give them the courage that they are able to go all the way.

It is a beautiful thing to wish them well and assure them that you will be right there waiting to celebrate fully with them. So, with these best wishes for PhD defence or viva written here, you don’t need to worry about what to write on the exams success card of your special person because these are the best collection you will ever see. Wish that special person well and tell them that the next time you would address them, you would put a ‘Dr’ before their names.

Best Wishes for PhD Defence

You have come this far to achieve this great feat and nothing can stand in your way, not even your PhD defence because my best wishes for success will accompany you and see you through. Congratulations in advance.

1. Congratulations in advance on the prospect of achieving your PhD. I know that your PhD defence will just be a walk in the path for you because I have seen you working hard day and night. Best wishes on your PhD defence.

2. You have all these years studied and with diligence, you are close to the end of the journey with the forthcoming PhD defence as the only challenge left. Best wishes in your PhD defence.

3. I am wishing you the best in your PhD defence and I can’t wait to congratulate you on successfully completing your PhD. I know that nothing can stop you.

4. You are always gracious in victory and even humble in defeat, but as you prepare for your PhD defence, I wish you victory because I can’t wait to address you as Doctor. My best wishes.

5. As you go into the hall for your PhD defence, I wish you all the best and I hope that every question thrown at you would be a revision of what you have learnt and prepared for. Congratulations on getting to this stage in your life .

6. My warmest congratulations for making it to this end after so many years of hard work and astute determination to succeed. You are finally scaling the highest heights in academics. I wish you flying colours in your PhD defence.

7. Dear brother, accept my warmest congratulations on the journey so far in your academic path. Getting to defend your PhD shows that you have put so much work into it, I wish you all the best as you prepare for this last challenge. See you on top.

8. You are about to earn the highest degree in academics, a PhD! Congratulations in advance to you and best wishes as you get on the PhD defence. You will come out shining.

9. Dear sister, you have come this far and I am extremely proud of you. As you prepare for your PhD defence which would herald your successful completion of this journey, I wish you all the best.

10. I hope that this doctorate degree gives you a path to a life that is without blemish and smooth. I can’t wait to see you march out in grand style from your forthcoming PhD defence. Best wishes.

11. I am super proud to know that all that is left for your PhD defence. It’s been a journey of many challenges but see you today, preparing for your PhD defence, best wishes and I hope to call you Doctor very soon.

12. If what you are preparing for is your PhD defence, then rest assured that you will scale through. After all these years and hard work, you deserved to be crowned a Doctor of Philosophy. I am sending you my best wishes as you go in for your PhD defence.

13. Let me be the first to greet you as a Doctor that you are because you are coming out at the other side of that PhD defence hall as a doctor. Best wishes to you, dear.

14. You are a source of inspiration to me and many others. I am wishing you excellent greatness as you face your PhD defence. In the end, we will celebrate your greatest achievement in life. Congratulations to you in advance.

15. To enrol for a PhD takes a lot of courage. To go along with the course takes a lot of hard work. To be at it and all the research takes a lot of effort. You have endured all these. That alone is an encouragement that your PhD defence will bring you glory. Best wishes on your PhD defence.

16. I am very happy to be associated with someone like you who has such a great tenacity for excellence. As you prepare for your PhD defence, I wish you all the very best. Congratulations doctor.

17. After the successful defence of your PhD, you will be regarded as the most beautiful Doctor and the most intelligent too. I wish you all the best as you prepare for your PhD defence.

18. Dear, I am happy to know that you will be going for your PhD defence any moment from now. I wish you all the best, our very own incoming doctor.

19. From your antecedents, I have known that you are one of the best we have in the family and to know that you are about to complete your PhD program with your defence coming soon, I can only wish you all the best. Many blessings will come upon you. Congratulations.

20. My dear, congratulations to you on your forthcoming PhD defence. I am greeting congratulations because I know that you will scale through easily. Having come this far, you are unstoppable. Good luck to you.

21. This is a remarkable point in your life. I wish you a smooth ride as you prepare for your PhD defence. Congratulations in advance.

22. To the most studious lady on the planet, I am not surprised that you are about to reach the climax of your academic path. Congratulations in advance. As you prepare for your PhD defence, I wish you the best of all blessings and if possible good luck.

23. Congratulations to the doctor in waiting. The only thing standing between you and being called a doctor is your PhD defence. Best wishes as you go in to bring it down and bring home the title and great achievements. Congratulations and best wishes.

24. First, congratulations and two, best wishes as you prepare for your PhD defence. I hope to celebrate with you at the end .

25. As you look forward to achieving a milestone in your life with your PhD defence, I am confident that you will come out with excellence and flying colours. Best wishes.

26. My best lady. Thumbs up on the occasion of your PhD defence. I know you are capable. Best wishes to you.

27. At the end of this PhD defence, one thing is sure- you will be addressed as a Doctor. It’s such a great achievement and we are looking forward to it. I wish you success in your PhD defence. Congratulations.

28. With this next phase of your life, you would prove every doubter false about your capabilities, dear. I am so proud of you. I wish you flying colours and excellence as you prepare for your PhD defence.

29. It is a special moment indeed to know that what’s left of you is your PhD defence. I wish you a very easy journey in this last part of this journey. Congratulations.

30. Dear friend, your perseverance and dedication are worthy of emulation and they have kept you to this very stage of your PhD defence. I wish you success in it. Go for Gold.

31. You are about to complete your PhD program. I appreciate your efforts and hard work. I wish you heavenly blessings in your academic career and in your PhD defence.

32. I am delighted to know that you going in for your PhD defence. It’s been an awesome journey though with great efforts put in the work and process. I wish you blessings and favour in your PhD defence. Good luck to you.

33. Best wishes on your forthcoming PhD defence.

34. You have worked really hard to get to this stage; it is the final stage to receiving a PhD degree. I wish you a beautiful outing on your PhD defence.

35. It is a well-deserving honour to receive a PhD defence but it doesn’t just come on a platter of Gold. It comes with a real lot of hard work and determination. You have got this. Best wishes to you on your PhD defence.

36. Congratulations in advance to you on achieving your doctoral degree. Yes, I know you have a defence to pass through, but I know that my best wishes to you on your PhD defence will see you through. Congrats!.

37. A PhD defence is not something to be scared about; you have studied so hard and worked so hard to get to this stage. I wish you the best.

38. See you on the other side when I would call you ‘Dr……….. I wish you success in your PhD defence.

39. I am so happy to be wishing you the best on the occasion of your PhD defence. You are so amiable and loving. You deserved to be called a doctor after all your hard work.

40. I am sending you all the best wishes as you conclude your PhD program with a defence. You will come out excellently well.

41. You are truly a self-motivated person and it proves that you cannot be stopped; not even the PhD defence that is coming soon. I wish you the best.

42. Your determination for success has brought you to this point where you have your PhD defence. I wish you victor and to see you crowned with that prestigious degree.

43. I will be the first to tell you ‘Congratulations on achieving your doctorate degree’ immediately after this PhD defence. Until then, best wishes in your defence.

44. It’s a great milestone to be awarded a PhD degree and with your hard work and relentless efforts, I want you to know that your PhD defence will be the icing on the cake of your victory and success. I wish you the best.

45. Looking at the events of these past years, I have seen in you a never-dying spirit. Congrats to you. I wish you success in your PhD defence.

46. What a doctorate degree reflect is years of hard work and dedication. You have finally reached the pinnacle of this academic pursuit. Best wishes on your PhD defence.

47. I have always wanted to congratulate you, and on this day I say congratulations on your forthcoming PhD defence because I know that you will come out in flying colours.

48. You are the best and most dedicated person I have seen in a while. I wish you great results and success in your PhD defence.

49. I am so happy for you. You have really laboured and worked hard to get to this day. I wish you success on your PhD defence.

50. Congrats on your success all the way to your PhD defence. Congrats and best wishes!

Best Wishes for PhD Viva

Your PhD viva is on the way. See it as a route to you achieving your highest degree in life and not as an obstacle because I know that you are capable to overcome it. Best wishes and I will see you on the other side for victory.

51. It is the day you have been expecting; the day for your PhD viva. I wish you all the best. Well done, Doctor in waiting.

52. With this stage of life, I hope that all the goals that you have set become more feasible. I wish you the best result as you go in for your PhD viva.

53. To get a PhD, perseverance is key and that has landed you in this position today where you have to do your PhD viva. I wish you excellence and success. Congrats in advance.

54. I wish you all the best as you go in for your PhD viva. You have worked so hard to get to this level; there is no going back. You will come out with a new title. Congrats once again.

55. With your PhD viva, I can only wish you all the best for all your future endeavours and that you achieve all the more success after your PhD viva.

56. After all these years of hard work and research, you are ready to defend with your PhD viva in view. I wish you exceeding and outstanding success.

57. I am sending my warmest greetings on the occasion of your PhD viva. You have proved to everyone that you are able to conquer even the highest mountain. Wishing you an excellent result.

58. This new phase of your life is to greater achievements. I am sending to you my warmest wishes and blessing on your PhD viva.

59. A PhD is what you really deserve and for your PhD viva, I wish you all the best. I hope to see you in flying colours after the exercise. Congrats once again.

60. Hard works are rewarded with good grades and I am confident that yours would be one to reckon with. I wish you all the best in your PhD viva.

61. I know that after your PhD viva, I would congratulate you as a ‘Dr’. Wishing you more achievements and success at your PhD viva.

62. You are such a sweet person and I cannot but wish you well on your PhD viva. Go out there and make history!

63. You are always setting records and smashing them. Once again, you are about smashing this academic record in the family. I wish you success on your PhD viva. Congrats in advance.

64. I am so happy you made it to this stage. I wish you success and best wishes on your PhD viva. Congratulations to you.

65. We will always remember your feat on this academic path; congrats on your PhD viva. Best wishes.

66. I have learned from you that with the right attitude and determination, nothing is impossible. I wish you a great outing on your PhD viva.

67. Congratulations on getting the “Doctor” title finally. Though you have a viva to attend, I know that you will scale through it. Best wishes on your PhD viva.

68. Hard work always pays off; that’s the truth and for you, your PhD viva points to it. I wish you excellence and success on your PhD viva.

69. I ask that God bless you as you get set to achieve greatness with your PhD viva which is the avenue to you obtaining your doctorate degree. Best wishes

70. All the success that is waiting for you will come open because, with this PhD viva, you are getting on top of the ladder. I congratulate you and wish you well in your PhD viva.

71. Congratulations on your PhD. Your viva is a springboard to getting to the pinnacle of your academic career. I wish you all the very best as you go in for your PhD viva.

72. You are an inspirational personality. You’ve put in a lot of hard work and resources to see that you get to this stage where you would be defending your PhD. Wishing you all the best in the PhD viva.

73. The hard work and efforts you put into your endeavours are beyond excellent. You have just one more hurdle to cross which is your PhD viva. Wishing you the best.

74. Congratulations on another success to you! You are about to get your doctorate degree. Wishing you all the best in your PhD viva.

75. You see, a doctorate degree comes with a great deal of respect. You have earned it from me. I wish you success in your PhD viva. Congratulations!

76. Your PhD viva is something to look forward to because I know you will come out smashing it. Best wishes to you.

77. You have brought a touch of success in everything you do. With this stage of your life where you have to obtain your PhD, it’s a boost for everyone who supported you in your days of hard work. We will wish you best wishes in your final lap.

78. Everyone here both at the faculty and laboratory is immensely proud of you. Congratulations in advance to you and best wishes on your PhD viva.

79. To our young doctor, congratulation to you. A PhD degree is a test of endurance and patience. You have come this far. I wish you all the best in your PhD viva.

80. You have accomplished this task with so much effort and hard work. Congratulations on your achievement. Wish you a successful outing in your PhD viva.

81. This is probably one of the best days of your life because you are about to be crowned a champion of research. I wish you success in this final lap which is your PhD viva.

82. I look forward to the day when we would celebrate with the “Doctor” because, after this PhD viva, you would become a celebrity. My best wishes for your defence in your PhD viva.

83. The title of a doctor would fit you so well but you just have one hurdle to cross. I wish you the best as you prepare.

84. There are no excuses for failure because everyone has a chance to get back up when down. I wish you much more success and for your PhD viva, best of luck.

85. Dear brother, you are just going to be announced to the world because this is just the beginning. I wish you every beautiful thing on your PhD viva.

86. You will come out in flying colours because your flight of success has taken off. Wishing you favours and blessings on your PhD viva.

87. You’re the pilot of your life and you have flown very well to this juncture: you are about to defend your PhD. Wishing you the best on your PhD viva.

88. I am confident that you’re going places where you will be unstoppable. A PhD degree is not picked up on the streets. You have worked so hard for this day. Your viva is going to be amazing. I wish you the best!

89. My dear, being honoured with the highest degree is an honour in itself. I wish you abundant blessings and success as you scale the hurdle of your PhD viva. Congratulations Doctor.

90. Most of the time, people celebrate the success of people and tend to forget the hard work. I saw you laboured very hard to become who you are today. As you prepare for your PhD viva, I wish you the best.

91. You have walked on the journey of life till this point. There is nothing again that can stop you. Wishing you the best in your PhD viva.

92. Congratulations in advance, my “Dr”. Your hard work has paid off. I wish you success in this final stage of your PhD viva. See you on top.

93. Your PhD viva is your door to being called a Doctor. Congrats to you and wishing you all the best.

94. I love the fact that you believed in yourself and your ability to see it through. Here we are today- defending your PhD. Congrats and best wishes on your PhD viva.

95. I am happy you are about to achieve the height of your academic path. I hope to see you decorated as a doctorate degree holder after your viva. Best of wishes on your PhD viva.

96. You desired it. You worked for it. You laboured for it. You endured it. And now it has come. Best of wishes on your PhD viva. Congratulations Doctor.

97. You are self-motivated and your optimism is an inspiration to many. You stayed all through the long process of your PhD program and today you are about to go for your Viva. I wish you all the best.

98. You had a dream; holding a doctorate degree. It is about to be accomplished. I wish you success on your PhD viva. Love you so much.

99. Thank you for being such an inspiration to many around. As fr your PhD viva, you can rely on our wishes and our prayers. Wishing you all the best.

100. All that is left to your long-cherished dream of becoming a PhD holder is your PhD viva. I hope that it comes to you on the altar of victory. Best wishes to the next doctorate degree holder.

These messages are carefully written for you so that you can celebrate in advance any of your loved ones on the forthcoming achievement that is coming their way. For this magnitude of achievement like a PhD, you will definitely need these best wishes for PhD defence or viva as listed above. Your friends may also have someone they want to celebrate, so please share this page with them.

good luck for your thesis

5 Tips for Enjoying Your Thesis Journey

Posted on May 3, 2024 by brennerg

You are getting ready to embark on what may well be the most challenging (but rewarding!) academic journey of your education thus far­– writing your undergraduate honors thesis. While this process will end with an impressive piece of writing, it will also give you new connections within O’Neill and reveal to you your academic capabilities. Below I have compiled tips that will help you to take full advantage of and truly enjoy this invaluable experience:

  • It will be in your best interest to work with your future self in mind. Anything that you can do to alleviate stress that your future self may experience is something you will want to do. This includes creating a writing schedule (and sticking to it), as well as setting time with your advisor to meet early and often. Hold yourself accountable to these sessions by actually putting them into your calendar. Respect these times and treat them like a class that you cannot miss. By doing these things, you will better combat any last-minute procrastination. Your future self will thank you!
  • If you can, spend time during SPEA-V491 to collect your data. It can be hard to quickly figure out your topic and begin data collection, but it was such a relief to have my data collected before coming in SPEA-V499, as I could hit the ground running and start my data analysis.
  • One of my favorite parts about the O’Neill Honors Program was getting to write my thesis alongside some exceptionally talented peers. These are people who are going through the same experiences as you, which gives them a unique perspective that no one else in your circle will have. Moreover, they will help to motivate you when you need it most!
  • There are a plethora of resources available to you throughout your thesis journey. I suggest using any on-campus resources that can assist in your data collection and data analysis. Considering that I conducted my research with a survey, I contacted the Center for Survey Research at IU and got help polishing off my survey and analyzing the data that came from it. Finally, use the extensive knowledge of your advisor and PhD student, if applicable. They are there to help you!
  • The journey of your thesis will be just as rewarding, if not more rewarding, than your finished manuscript. Throughout the process, I learned so much about myself not only as a student, but as a person. My advisor and I often discussed how the process of completing my thesis was teaching me just as much as the content of my research. I learned how to narrow down incredibly broad ideas, how to effectively communicate with potential research participants, and how to properly revise and edit my writing. Most importantly, however, I learned how capable I am. You will most definitely be proud of the final product, so allow yourself the space to grow and learn throughout the process!

Enjoy this time, as it will go by faster than you know. Good luck!

Grace Brenner is a junior at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs studying in Nonprofit Management and Leadership with minors in Human Resources Management and Social Welfare Advocacy. After graduation, she intends to work for an advocacy organization in the nonprofit sector.

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Gildeprint

6 tips for writing your thesis acknowledgements

7 March 2019 by ellen

A word of thanks is usually not obligatory, but often one of the most read pages from your thesis. Just think about it: when people get a thesis, they always check the word of thanks for familiar names. Some view the acknowledgements only because they expect to be mentioned. What if you forget them? Although the word of thanks is the only page that is not written in scientific language, its sensitivity makes it difficult to write. In this article you will find 6 tips that will help you write your acknowledgements.

1.Use the right tone

Friendly but formal. Below we provide you some examples:

  • I would like to thank…
  • I am profoundly grateful to…
  • My research would have been impossible without the aid and support of…
  • My sincere thanks to…
  • … gave me invaluable help with…

2. Thank the most important people

Think of your supervisors, colleagues, fellow PhD’s and respondents.

3. Thank various organizations

Thank the organizations, parties or authorities that have provided you with help or financial support. A foundation, your employer or research group.

4. Mention all other parties

Such as a friendly administrative assistant, the employees of your printing company or the author of the thesis you used as an example.

5. End with your personal word of thanks

Mention your family, friends, partner or other acquaintances that helped you during your PhD period.

6. What to do if you do not want to thank?

But what should you do when you are completely unhappy with the contribution of a certain person?

It is art to name everyone, but only to thank where gratitude is due. After all, it is your word of thanks. An example of this is a co-supervisor who did not share the knowledge you needed at the start of your PhD. Towards the end of your research he thinks that that knowledge is still lacking. Very annoying, but leaving him out of your acceptance speech is not an option. You never know when you will be dealing with that person again. Thank someone in such a case because he managed to lift the thesis to a higher level while you thought you were already done. That’s a positive approach and you do not thank the person for something you do not owe him to thanks for.

We wish you good luck with writing your acknowledgements!

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Good luck with your studies in China

  • Thread starter dfrost
  • Start date Mar 14, 2009
  • Mar 14, 2009

I'm talking to a graduate student working on a thesis at a university in mainland China. What about this? 祝你好运与您的研究中。  

There is a character error about this chinese sentence, it should be "祝你好运 在 您的研究中", but we can got the mean: Good luck in your study!  

Thank you very much for the correction, WiLLenster!  

samanthalee

samanthalee

Senior member.

  • Mar 16, 2009

I think we don't usually say it that way. It's more common to say "祝你研究顺利".  

  • Mar 20, 2009

xie xie, samanthalee. I definitely want to sound natural.  

  • Mar 22, 2009
samanthalee said: I think we don't usually say it that way. It's more common to say "祝你研究顺利". Click to expand...
  • Mar 23, 2009
WiLLenster said: There is a character error about this chinese sentence, it should be "祝你好运 在 您的研究中", but we can got the mean: Good luck in your study! Click to expand...
dfrost said: I'm talking to a graduate student working on a thesis at a university in mainland China. What about this? 祝你好运与您的研究中。 Click to expand...
soumet said: As you said, the student is working on a thesis. So probably we can say,' 祝你论文写作顺利'. Click to expand...
  • Sep 3, 2011

well,祝你研究顺利。is better!  

yuechu

  • Oct 6, 2017

I'd like to say this to a friend studying an undergraduate degree. (Good luck with your studies!) How could I say this in Chinese? Thanks!  

brofeelgood

brofeelgood

  • Oct 7, 2017

「祝你学业顺利」 and 「祝你学业有成」 are commonly heard.  

  • Oct 8, 2017

Thanks, brofeelgood!  

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Tress Academic

Ten hacks for writing my thesis

#61: Ten hacks to quick-start your thesis writing!

July 21, 2020 by Tress Academic

OK, it’s dissertation writing time. But how do you get started? Which sections are best to begin with? Are there any steps that should be completed beforehand? Is there any technique that helps speed up the process? The answer is yes, and we are happy to introduce you to ten simple hacks that will help you make major progress with getting your dissertation started.

We know, you’ve come a long way in your PhD study when you decide to finally get started with dissertation writing. It has probably been an exhausting and painful journey so far but now you are committed and want to get this thesis done. You realise that you need to get started now because otherwise you could risk delaying completion of your PhD. So let us suggest here ten hacks that are helpful when you’re really at the beginning and have no idea what to do next or what to write.

1. Identify your dissertation requirements  

It sounds obvious, but you better check what you are required to produce in order to say “I’m done with my dissertation”. Are there any specific requirements you need to fulfill? Do you write a monograph thesis or several journal papers? Check out our blog post #6 “Dissertation dilemma? Hand in a monograph or papers?” to understand the pros and cons of both options. 

2. See writing as a process 

Writing is not an activity you do once and then the text is done. This means when you write something, it will most likely not represent the best version of the written text. So don’t set your expectations too high. When you write something, it is not perfect yet, but it is a start and it can always be improved. To see writing as a process also means that it is fine that you first produce a draft that doesn’t look good and that is not complete or logically organized. The important thing is you’ve written something you can build upon and this is the trick of writing: you need to produce something in order to improve it later.

3. Define your dissertation goal

Describe in a few sentences what the central argument is that you want to make in your dissertation or in each paper. Find in your project proposal or description what you have to deliver or what you promised to deliver. What makes most sense as the overall focus of your work? Write it down in a few sentences and make sure you focus only on this one goal.

4. Start from what you’ve got

 Don’t start planning your dissertation from what you want to do in your entire PhD project. This could be far too much. If you wait until everything that you had in mind is done, your funded project time could be over. Instead, focus on what you have already done and try to write about this. It might already be more than enough to get started and you’ll probably realise it is also enough to get your dissertation done. You don’t need to do all the things that you had originally – and with best intentions – in mind. To start, begin with writing what you’ve got rather than waiting for better or more stuff.

5. Don’t wait for input from co-authors

If you want to get your thesis and papers done, you need to lead the writing process. This means don’t wait until you hear from your co-authors or supervisors on what you have written before you make your next writing step. Move on and keep writing. Of course, you want to get feedback from co-authors and supervisors but don’t let this slow you down. Write a section, and while you give this section to others for comments, you continue writing the next one. Show others and show yourself that you’re committed to writing.

6. Don’t wait for all experimental and empirical work to be completed

If you wait for your work to be completed before you start writing, you are slowing down the writing process and you’re delaying completion of your PhD. Start the writing process as early as possible. The dissertation is the main outcome of your PhD and, therefore, the earlier you start the better you will progress. The writing process is a fruitful and creative one, it is not only about reporting what you have done. Writing can also inspire some of the research activities you’re busy with. While you are drafting sentences and trying to make sense out of what you’ve got already, you feed back to the research and bring ideas back to your work. If you can, start drafting sections as early as possible after your experimental work has begun.

good luck for your thesis

7. Get the literature review out of the way 

The literature review is the section in any thesis or paper that can be done very early, so don’t waste time and think you’ll do it later. Everything you need to write this section is available to you. It is also a very good section to get into the writing flow as it is not about your own work but about synthesising what is known, what is not known and it gives the context for why your work is needed. Trust us, figuring out what to write here is not difficult. Check out our blog post #50 “Mastering the literature review” for detailed instructions on how to write this part. 

8. Read other literature and take notes  

Reading other stuff is essential to understanding your own work better and embedding it into a context. But it takes time and in order to save some time, do it as efficiently as possible. You don’t want to have to read a piece of literature several times in order to eventually include it in your dissertation. It would be better if you just studied the literature once. To do this effectively, you can download our literature review notes sheet to help you sort out the literature you review. It helps you to write down notes about a piece of research right away so you don’t need to go back to it several times.  

9. Don’t get lost in editing

If it’s your task to get the dissertation started, focus on producing text. Get into the writing mood and surprise yourself with how much you know about your topic and what you can write about it. Don’t let yourself be interrupted in this flow by searching for typos, thinking of better expressions, revising sentences and paragraphs or cleaning up mistakes. Of course, you need to edit your text, this is no question, but first produce the text, the editing can come later. Don’t stop your writing flow.

10. Schedule your writing and don’t get lost in it

If you want to bring your dissertation forward in big steps, you need to take it seriously now. It is no longer a side activity but one of your core projects, thus you better start scheduling writing sessions. Don’t be too ambitious and think you can schedule entire days or weeks for writing – it won’t work out this way because you’ve got other business too. Schedule your writing but also take breaks from writing. Set a time for how much you will write and then stop for the day. You’re done for now and you can continue next time. This will allow you to celebrate the small progresses you make, to reward yourself by having time for something else and therefore keep up the mood for writing.

good luck for your thesis

Congratulations on coming so far that you’re seriously thinking about getting your dissertation writing started. Don’t let yourself be guided by the many myths you hear about dissertation writing but take action yourself. With the 10 simple hacks we presented to you here, you will be able to get started early and get started well. Once you’ve cleared the first hurdle, you will see the writing flow almost automatically. Good luck with your dissertation and check the resources below for further help.

good luck for your thesis

Relevant resources: 

  • Worksheet Literature review notes
  • Blog post #5: How to get started with writing papers?
  • Blog post #6: Dissertation dilemma? Hand in a monograph or papers?
  • Blog post #38: Why you need a publishing strategy
  • Blog post #47: Plan your project – save your PhD!
  • Blog post #50: Mastering the literature review during the Corona lockdown
  • Blog post #56: Breaking these 5 habits will speed up your thesis writing!  
  • Blog post #58: Why you should not leave dissertation writing until the end!

More information: 

Do you want to successfully complete your PhD? If so, please sign up to receive our free guides.  

© 2020 Tress Academic

#ThesisWriting, #DissertationWriting, #PhD, #Doctorate, #WritingHabits

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How to create a great thesis defense presentation: everything you need to know

Get your team on prezi – watch this on demand video.

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Anete Ezera April 13, 2024

Ready to take on your thesis defense presentation? It’s not just about wrapping up years of study; it’s your moment to share your insights and the impact of your work. A standout presentation can make all the difference. It’s your chance to highlight the essentials and really connect with your audience.

This is where Prezi comes into play. Forget about flipping through slide after slide. With Prezi, you craft a narrative that pulls your audience in. It simplifies the complex, ensuring your key points hit home. Let’s explore how Prezi can help transform your thesis defense into a successful presentation.

Public speaker at science convention.

What is a thesis defense presentation and why are they needed? 

Whether you’re preparing for a master’s thesis defense or a Ph.D. thesis defense, this final step in your academic journey is the one with the most significance, as it dramatically influences your final grade. It’s also your chance to display the dedication and effort you’ve put into your research, a way to demonstrate how significant your work is. 

So, why is this such a big deal? A good presentation helps convince your teachers that your research is solid and makes a difference in your field. It’s your time to answer questions, show that your research methods were sound, and point out what’s new and interesting about your work. In the end, a great thesis defense presentation helps you finish strong and makes sure you leave a lasting impression as you wrap up this chapter of your academic life.

Best practices for making a successful thesis defense presentation 

In order to craft a standout thesis defense presentation, you need to do more than just deliver research findings. Here are some key strategies to ensure success, and how Prezi can play a crucial role in elevating your presentation.

Start with a strong introduction

Kick-off with an engaging introduction that lays out your research question, its significance, and your objectives. This initial segment grabs attention and sets the tone. Using Prezi’s zoom feature can make your introduction pop by visually underscoring key points, helping your audience grasp the importance of your work right from the start.

Organize your presentation clearly

A coherent structure is essential for guiding your audience through your thesis defense presentation. Prezi can help by offering a map view of your content’s layout upfront, providing a clear path through your introduction, methodology, results, and conclusion. This clarity keeps your audience engaged and makes your arguments easier to follow.

Incorporate multimedia elements

Adding multimedia elements like videos, audio clips, and animations can greatly improve the appeal of your thesis defense presentation. Prezi supports the seamless integration of these elements, allowing you to bring your research to life in a more vibrant and engaging way. Videos can serve as powerful testimonials or demonstrations, while animations can help illustrate complex processes or changes over time. This variety keeps your audience engaged and helps convey your message in a more exciting way.

Smiling african woman giving presentation at startup. Happy female professional standing in front of a large television screen with a graph.

Simplify complex data

Your findings need to be presented in a way that’s easy for your audience to understand. Prezi shines here, with tools that transform intricate data into clear, engaging visuals. By implementing charts and graphs into your presentation, you can make your data stand out and support your narrative effectively.

Engage your audience

Make your thesis defense a two-way conversation by interacting with your audience. Whether it’s through questions, feedback, or direct participation, engagement is key. Prezi allows for a flexible presentation style, letting you navigate sections in response to audience input, creating a dynamic and engaging experience.

Highlight key takeaways

Emphasize the key takeaways of your research throughout your presentation to ensure your audience grasps the most critical aspects of your work. With Prezi, you can use spotlighting and strategic zooming to draw attention to these takeaways, making them stand out. This method helps reinforce your main points, ensuring they stick with your audience long after your presentation concludes. By clearly defining what your audience should remember, you guide their understanding and appreciation of your research’s value and implications.

Practice makes perfect

Confidence in delivery comes from thorough practice. Familiarize yourself with every aspect of your thesis defense presentation, including timing, voice control, and gestures. Prezi Video is a great tool for rehearsing, as it allows you to blend your presentation materials with your on-camera performance, mirroring the live defense setting and helping you polish your delivery.

Cropped shot of a businesswoman delivering a speech during a conference

End with a lasting impression

Conclude your presentation powerfully by summarizing your main findings, their implications, and future research directions. Prezi’s ability to zoom out and show the big picture at your conclusion helps reinforce how each section of your presentation contributes to your overall thesis, ensuring your research leaves a memorable impact on your audience.

By using these tips and taking advantage of what Prezi offers, you can make your thesis defense presentation really stand out. It’ll not only hit the mark with your audience but also clearly show why your research matters.

Meeting tight deadlines with Prezi 

Facing a looming deadline for your thesis defense presentation? Prezi offers smart solutions to help you create a polished and engaging presentation quickly, even if it feels like you’re down to the wire.

A closer look at Prezi AI features

Prezi AI is a standout feature for those pressed for time. It assists in structuring your presentation efficiently, suggesting design elements and layouts that elevate your content. This AI-driven approach means you can develop a presentation that looks meticulously planned and executed in a fraction of the time it would normally take. The result? A presentation that communicates the depth and value of your research clearly and effectively, without the last-minute rush being evident. Here’s what Prezi AI can do:

  • Streamlined creation process: At the core of Prezi’s efficiency is the AI presentation creator . Perfect for those last-minute crunch times, it’s designed to tackle tight deadlines with ease.
  • Easy start: Kick off your presentation creation with just a click on the “Create with AI” button. Prezi AI guides you through a smooth process, transforming your initial ideas or keywords into a structured and visually appealing narrative.
  • Visual impact: There’s no need to dive deep into design details. Simply provide some basic input, and Prezi AI will craft it into a presentation that grabs and holds your audience’s attention, making your thesis defense visually compelling.
  • AI text editing: Spending too much time fine-tuning your message? Prezi AI text editing features can help. Whether you need to expand on a concept, clarify complex terms, or condense your content without losing impact, Prezi AI streamlines these tasks.
  • Content refinement: Adjust text length for deeper explanation, simplify language for better understanding, and ensure your presentation’s content is precise and to the point. Prezi AI editing tools help you refine your message quickly, so you can focus on the essence of your research.

Using Prezi Video for remote thesis defense presentations

For remote thesis defenses, Prezi Video steps up to ensure your presentation stands out. It integrates your on-screen presence alongside your presentation content, creating a more personal and engaging experience for your audience. This is crucial in maintaining attention and interest, particularly in a virtual format where keeping your audience engaged presents additional challenges. Prezi Video makes it seem as though you’re presenting live alongside your slides, helping to simulate the in-person defense experience and keep your audience focused on what you’re saying.

Prezi Video

Using these advanced Prezi features, you can overcome tight deadlines with confidence, ensuring your thesis defense presentation is both impactful and memorable, no matter the time constraints.

The Prezi experience: what users have to say 

Prezi users have shared compelling insights on how the platform’s unique features have revolutionized their presentations. Here’s how their experiences can inspire your thesis defense presentation:

Storytelling with Prezi

Javier Schwersensky highlights the narrative power of Prezi: “This is a tool that is going to put you ahead of other people and make you look professional and make your ideas stand out,” he remarks. For your thesis defense, this means Prezi can help you craft a narrative that not only presents your research but tells a story that captures and retains the committee’s interest.

Flexibility and creativity

Tamara Montag-Smit appreciates Prezi for its “functionality of the presentation that allows you to present in a nonlinear manner.” This flexibility is key in a thesis defense, allowing you to adapt your presentation flow in real time based on your audience’s engagement or questions, ensuring a more dynamic and interactive defense.

The open canvas

Vitek Dočekal values Prezi’s open canvas , which offers “creative freedom” and the ability to “create a mind map and determine how to best present my ideas.” For your thesis defense, this means Prezi lets you lay out and show off your work in a way that makes sense and grabs your audience’s attention, turning complicated details into something easy and interesting to follow.

Engagement and retention

Adam Rose points out the engagement benefits of Prezi: “Being able to integrate videos is extremely effective in capturing their attention.” When you need to defend a thesis, using Prezi to include videos or interactive content can help keep your committee engaged, making your presentation much more memorable.

These real insights show just how effective Prezi is for crafting truly influential presentations. By incorporating Prezi into your thesis defense presentation, you can create a defense that not only shows how strong your research is but also leaves a lasting impression on your audience.

Thesis defense presentations for inspiration 

Prezi is much more than a platform for making presentations; it’s a place where you can find inspiration by browsing presentations that other Prezi users have made. Not only that, but Prezi offers numerous templates that would be useful for thesis defense presentations, making the design process much easier. Here are a few examples that you may find helpful: 

Research project template by Prezi 

This Prezi research project template stands out as an ideal choice for thesis defense presentations due to its well-structured format that facilitates storytelling from start to finish. It begins with a clear introduction and problem statement, setting a solid foundation for the narrative. The inclusion of sections for user research, interviews, demographics, and statistics allows for a detailed presentation of the research process and findings, which are crucial when defending a thesis. 

Visual elements like user mapping and journey maps help make complex information understandable and engaging, which is crucial for maintaining the committee’s attention. Additionally, addressing pain points and presenting prototypes showcases problem-solving efforts and practical applications of the research. The template culminates in a conclusion that ties everything together, emphasizing the research’s impact and future possibilities. Its comprehensive yet concise structure makes it an excellent tool for communicating the depth and significance of your work in a thesis defense.

Civil rights movement Prezi

This Prezi on the Civil Rights Movement exemplifies an effective thesis defense presentation by seamlessly blending structured content, multimedia enhancements, and dynamic navigation. It organizes information into coherent sections like “About,” “Key Events,” and “Key People,” offering a comprehensive view ideal for a thesis presentation. The strategic use of videos adds depth, providing historical context in a dynamic way that text alone cannot, enhancing the audience’s engagement and understanding. 

Furthermore, Prezi’s open canvas feature brings the narrative to life, allowing for a fluid journey through the Civil Rights Movement. This method of presentation, with its zooming and panning across a virtual canvas, not only captivates but also helps to clarify the connections between various elements of the research, showcasing how to effectively communicate complex ideas in a thesis defense.

AI-assisted history template

This AI-assisted presentation template stands out as a great choice for thesis defense presentations, especially for those rooted in historical research. By merging striking visuals with rich, informative content, you can use this template to craft a narrative that breathes life into past events, guiding the audience on an engaging journey through time. Its sequential storytelling approach, empowered by Prezi AI , ensures a smooth transition from one historical point to the next, demonstrating the depth and continuity of your research. This template showcases Prezi AI’s capability to enhance narrative flow. By integrating advanced visuals and text, it captivates audiences and makes it an invaluable tool for presenting complex historical theses in a clear, compelling way.

Master your final grade with a Prezi thesis defense presentation 

Preparing for a thesis defense, whether for a master’s or Ph.D., is a pivotal moment that significantly influences your final grade. It’s your platform to demonstrate the dedication behind your research and its importance in your field. A well-executed presentation convinces your educators of your research’s validity and your ability to bring fresh perspectives to light.

To craft a successful thesis defense presentation, Prezi’s innovative features can be a game-changer. Prezi can empower you to transform presentations into captivating stories and provide you with the flexibility and creative freedom needed to make your presentation an outstanding success. Incorporating videos or utilizing Prezi’s non-linear presentation style can keep your committee engaged and emphasize your research’s significance.

Prezi also serves as a hub of inspiration, offering templates perfect for thesis defenses. From structured research project templates to dynamic historical narratives, Prezi provides tools that communicate your thesis’s depth and significance effectively, ensuring you leave a memorable impact on your audience. So, it’s time to revamp your thesis defense presentation and change it from dull to inspirational with Prezi. 

good luck for your thesis

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'When it comes to luck, you make your own.' 50 motivational quotes for peak inspiration

good luck for your thesis

It is often said, "The pen is mightier than the sword." And it's true – words can hold a lot of power . They can uplift and inspire others to tackle the challenges and hardships in their lives, they can break a person slowly over time or deliver instant heartache with a simple sentence.

But, for now, we want to talk about the good words. When you're feeling down or lacking motivation, you might turn to certain quotes for inspiration. Whether they come from your favorite author or actor, these messages may remind you to keep pushing forward and continue trying in whatever you do.

If you're looking for more, here is a compiled list of motivational quotes from throughout the decades:

50 motivational quotes

  • "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." — E.E. Cummings
  • "Your self-worth is determined by you. You don't have to depend on someone telling you who you are." — Beyoncé
  • "Nothing is impossible. The word itself says 'I'm possible!'" —  Audrey Hepburn
  •  "Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you." —  Walt Whitman
  • “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go." — Dr. Seuss
  • "Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference." — Winston Churchill
  • "To bring about change, you must not be afraid to take the first step. We will fail when we fail to try." — Rosa Parks
  • "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." — Walt Disney
  • "Don't sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them." — Madam C.J. Walker
  • "Champions keep playing until they get it right." — Billie Jean King
  • "I am lucky that whatever fear I have inside me, my desire to win is always stronger." — Serena Williams
  • "You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." —  C.S. Lewis
  • "It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light." —  Aristotle
  • "Believe you can and you're halfway there." — Theodore Roosevelt
  • "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage." — Anaïs Nin
  • "Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong." —  Ella Fitzgerald
  • "Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud." —  Maya Angelou
  • "If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one." — Dolly Parton
  • "Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time." — Ruth Bader Ginsburg
  • "All dreams are within reach. All you have to do is keep moving towards them." — Viola Davis
  • "It is never too late to be what you might have been." — George Eliot
  • "When you put love out in the world it travels, and it can touch people and reach people in ways that we never even expected." — Laverne Cox
  • "Give light and people will find the way." — Ella Baker
  • "It always seems impossible until it's done." — Nelson Mandela
  • "Don’t count the days, make the days count." — Muhammad Ali
  • "If you risk nothing, then you risk everything." — Geena Davis
  • "Definitions belong to the definers, not the defined." —  Toni Morrison
  • "When you have a dream, you've got to grab it and never let go." — Carol Burnett
  • "Never allow a person to tell you no who doesn’t have the power to say yes." — Eleanor Roosevelt
  • "When it comes to luck, you make your own." —  Bruce Springsteen
  • "If you're having fun, that's when the best memories are built." — Simone Biles
  • "Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor." — Truman Capote
  • "Hard things will happen to us. We will recover. We will learn from it. We will grow more resilient because of it." — Taylor Swift
  • "Your story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own." — Michelle Obama
  • "To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people just exist." — Oscar Wilde
  • "You define beauty yourself, society doesn’t define your beauty." — Lady Gaga
  • "Optimism is a happiness magnet. If you stay positive, good things and good people will be drawn to you." — Mary Lou Retton
  • "You just gotta keep going and fighting for everything, and one day you’ll get to where you want." — Naomi Osaka
  • "If you prioritize yourself, you are going to save yourself." — Gabrielle Union
  • "No matter how far away from yourself you may have strayed, there is always a path back. You already know who you are and how to fulfill your destiny." — Oprah Winfrey
  • "A problem is a chance for you to do your best." — Duke Ellington
  • "You can’t turn back the clock. But you can wind it up again." — Bonnie Prudden
  • "When you can’t find someone to follow, you have to find a way to lead by example." — Roxane Gay
  • "There is no better compass than compassion." — Amanda Gorman
  • "Stand before the people you fear and speak your mind – even if your voice shakes." — Maggie Kuhn
  • "It’s a toxic desire to try to be perfect. I realized later in life that the challenge is not to be perfect. It’s to be whole." — Jane Fonda
  • "Vitality shows not only in the ability to persist but in the ability to start over." — F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • "The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any." — Alice Walker
  • "Love yourself first and everything else falls into line." — Lucille Ball
  • "In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on." — Robert Frost

50 positive life quotes to inspire, and lift your spirit each day

Just Curious for more? We've got you covered

USA TODAY is exploring the questions you and others ask every day. From " What are angel numbers? " to " What is manifestation? " to " How to make a vision board? " – we're striving to find answers to the most common questions you ask every day. Head to our  Just Curious section  to see what else we can answer for you.

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Good Luck Getting Your Hands on Buldak Carbonara Ramen

With its bright pink packaging and spicy contents, these Korean-made instant ramen packs are going viral online and flying off shelves.

A pink package featuring a chicken sitting in a box. Next to the chicken is a pan filled with ramen.

By Eleanore Park

What kind of gift could make a little girl cry tears of joy at her very pink birthday party? A puppy? A Stanley cup ? A ticket to Disney World?

In a 33-second video posted on TikTok earlier this month, the source of elation is a bright pink pack of buldak carbonara ramen. As of Friday, the video has garnered more than 57.7 million views and 43,000 comments, including “She’s so real for this,” and “That was a fair reaction, buldak carbonara noodles are so good.”

Around the world, millions have been charmed by the product from Samyang Food, on shelves since 2017 but only recently the object of viral fascination. (In January, search queries on Google for “buldak carbonara” quintupled compared with the same period of the previous year, when search interest first began to rise.)

Recipe: Ramen Carbonara

This year it seems to have reached the attention of the food obsessed — including the rapper Cardi B and the TikTok food critic Keith Lee — all of them enamored with the heat-tinged instant noodles and often going to great lengths to get their hands on them. In her own video, Cardi B describes how she drove — well, her driver did — 30 minutes to find the noodles.

It’s a testament to the noodles’ popularity that even celebrities have a hard time tracking them down. Though buldak carbonara ramen is sold at major U.S. retailers, including Amazon, Walmart and Carrs-Safeway, as well as Korean grocery stores , the internet is filled with reports about the elusive noodles.

Why the obsession? In a sea of ramen options, Samyang Food’s buldak carbonara ramen possesses the ease and appeal of boxed macaroni and cheese, albeit one spiked with invigorating heat and a glossy, electric orange veneer absent in the final presentation of instant noodle competitors.

Atop this blank canvas, people add chopped scallions, toasted sesame seeds, soft-boiled eggs, a handful of shredded cheese or a dash of milk for extra creaminess — because, why not?

Eric Ehler, the chef at Outta Sight Pizza in San Francisco, believes that part of buldak carbonara’s lightning in a bottle moment comes from making a widely popular dish, spaghetti carbonara , more accessible.

“This is a version of carbonara that you can recreate,” Mr. Ehler said. “Not everyone is going to have guanciale or Pecorino Romano at home — but they will probably have a green shaker of Parmesan cheese, some mayonnaise or peanut butter to doctor up the dish.”

“ Buldak ,” which translates to “fire chicken” in Korean, refers to a kind of barbecue chicken dish that packs intense heat. Kim Jung-soo, the chief executive of the Samyang Roundsquare conglomerate, told The Wall Street Journal in January that she discovered inspiration for the insanely popular instant ramen flavor at a fried-rice restaurant in Seoul renowned for its fiery flavor.

Ms. Kim and Samyang’s food-development team spent months researching before landing on the company’s original buldak flavor, which debuted in 2012, introducing a level of spice previously unseen in the instant ramen market. At 4,404 units on the Scoville scale — roughly the heat level of jalapeño peppers, though the perceived heat is arguably much greater — the arrival of such a product was music to the ears of a generation already enamored with Takis and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

“We expect the spicy trend to continue and open the doors to new variations of spicy,” Ms. Kim told The Wall Street Journal. In 2023, Samyang Foods Company announced that cumulative sales of its ramen surpassed 5 billion units with a total revenue reaching 3 trillion won ($2.3 billion). The company’s current market cap value is estimated at around $1.46 billion and doesn’t show signs of slowing down.

The carbonara spinoff has been welcomed by a cozy corner of the internet for a multitude of reasons. But the main driver of its success is simple: “It looks so good on camera,” said Cassie Yeung, a content creator who discovered Buldak carbonara, like everyone else, while scrolling through her “For You” page on TikTok.

“You can almost smell and taste the dish. It makes you hungry, it makes you crave it and you want to go recreate it yourself,” said Ms. Yeung, whose own buldak carbonara video has earned nearly 700,000 likes on TikTok. (One comment: “Just went down a Buldak ramen rabbit hole and now I need to find them ASAP.”)

Ms. Yeung said that some of her best performing videos on social platforms have centered on instant noodles, possibly because they are so accessible.

“Not everything has to be the most sophisticated plated dish,” she said. “Some of the best dishes are the ones that you throw together with little to no effort.”

Follow New York Times Cooking on Instagram , Facebook , YouTube , TikTok and Pinterest . Get regular updates from New York Times Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice .

The Rise of TikTok

News and Analysis

A bill that would force a sale of TikTok  by its Chinese owner, ByteDance — or ban it outright — was passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Biden. Here’s why the U.S. is forcing the social media platform to be sold or banned .

ByteDance owns both TikTok and Douyin, and although TikTok has more users around the world, Douyin is the company’s cash cow and a China mainstay. So what is Douyin ?

While Congress says the social app is a security threat, critics of the law targeting it say it shows how out of step lawmakers  are with young people.

A food editor documents the high, the low and the mid from a week’s worth  of influencer restaurant suggestions on TikTok.

At a time of heightened confusion and legal battles over access to abortion, women are turning to the social media platform to talk about their abortions  and look for answers.

Has there ever been an app more American seeming than TikTok, with its messy democratic creativity, exhibitionism, utter lack of limits and vast variety of hustlers? Here’s how the platform has changed America .

“Being labeled a “yapper” on TikTok isn’t necessarily a compliment, but on a platform built on talk, it isn’t an insult either .

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VIDEO

  1. Good Thesis Leads to Great Essay

  2. Sending good luck your way! #art#drawing#digitalillustration #illustration #clover #digitalart

  3. Good luck your season opener this weekend,#leomessi #messi #intermiami #mls #shorts

  4. Good luck your not finding the last one

  5. Good luck Your Love ❤️😘❤️😘

  6. Follow me for good luck. Your Next year gonna be like this

COMMENTS

  1. 50+ Congratulation Messages and Wishes For Thesis Defense

    Good Luck on Your Thesis Defense Messages. Sending you all the positive vibes and good luck for your upcoming thesis defense! You have worked so hard, and I know that you are more than capable of achieving great things. Wishing you all the best as you prepare for your thesis defense! Remember to breathe, believe in yourself, and trust in all ...

  2. 50 Congratulations Messages for Thesis Defense

    Warmest congratulations on this feat! Your defense wasn't just a presentation; it was a manifestation of your passion, hard work, and perseverance. Your success is truly well-deserved. In your defense, we saw the culmination of years of dedication, learning, and growth. You've made a remarkable achievement.

  3. Guide: How to Say Good Luck in Your Studies

    5. Study smart, rock your exams, and good luck! 6. Break a leg with your studies! I know you'll do great. 7. May all your exams be as easy as pie. Good luck! 8. Hey studious one, good luck with your studies! You'll crush it. 9. Your hard work will pay off. Sending you good luck and positive vibes for your studies. 10. Keep calm and study on!

  4. Good Luck Messages: What to Write in a Good Luck Card

    Best of luck to you!". "Wishing you the very best luck…not that you need it. You've got this.". "Just a friendly reminder that I believe in you.". "Hope you're feeling good and confident about today. You have every reason to.". "I predict a big win tomorrow. Good luck to you!". "You can do this!".

  5. 50+ Ways to Say "Good Luck" in Writing & Speaking

    Best of luck: This is a classic and formal way to wish someone good luck. It's a safe and polite option that can be used in most situations. I wish you the best of luck: This is a more formal version of "best of luck.". It's a bit longer, but it shows that you're taking the time to wish the person well.

  6. Good Luck Texts and Messages for Someone Studying for an Exam

    Here's a funky good luck wish for the funkiest guy I know. Hugs and kisses! I know these exams mean a lot to you, so I've lit a candle and said a small prayer just for you asking for luck to be by your side. Rock your tests. Muah. There is a reason why I call you Mr. Numero Uno.

  7. 101 Inspirational Quotes for Thesis: Finding the Words

    10. "A thesis is the manifestation of dreams woven into scholarly reality.". 11. "The thesis is the mirror reflecting the researcher's soul.". 12. "Within the labyrinth of knowledge, the thesis becomes the guiding star.". 13. "Like a phoenix rising, the thesis transforms the ashes of uncertainty into knowledge.". 14.

  8. Motivational Quotes for the PhD Journey

    The PhD journey is a long one where it's easy and normal to feel unmotivated for certain stretches of time. We all need a little inspiration to perk us up during those days. Jenny Mak offers you four handy motivational quotes for when the going gets tough during your PhD…. "Success requires Action". We all procrastinate.

  9. What is a thesis

    After writing your thesis, the next step is to discuss and defend your findings verbally in front of a knowledgeable panel. ... Good luck with your thesis writing! Frequently Asked Questions 1: How long should a thesis statement be? A thesis typically ranges between 40-80 pages, but its length can vary based on the research topic, institution ...

  10. Developing A Thesis

    A good, standard place for your thesis statement is at the end of an introductory paragraph, especially in shorter (5-15 page) essays. Readers are used to finding theses there, so they automatically pay more attention when they read the last sentence of your introduction. Although this is not required in all academic essays, it is a good rule ...

  11. How to Write a Thesis Statement

    Step 1: Start with a question. You should come up with an initial thesis, sometimes called a working thesis, early in the writing process. As soon as you've decided on your essay topic, you need to work out what you want to say about it—a clear thesis will give your essay direction and structure.

  12. How to Write a Strong Thesis Statement: 4 Steps + Examples

    Step 4: Revise and refine your thesis statement before you start writing. Read through your thesis statement several times before you begin to compose your full essay. You need to make sure the statement is ironclad, since it is the foundation of the entire paper. Edit it or have a peer review it for you to make sure everything makes sense and ...

  13. How To Write A Dissertation Or Thesis

    Craft a convincing dissertation or thesis research proposal. Write a clear, compelling introduction chapter. Undertake a thorough review of the existing research and write up a literature review. Undertake your own research. Present and interpret your findings. Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications.

  14. How to survive your Master Thesis

    Good luck with your thesis. You will proudly survive! (My final thesis report) If you would like to know more about other students' experiences writing their theses, you can also watch the video below by student Lotta who tells you everything about her experience with writing her Master's thesis at Wageningen University & Research.

  15. Tips for Surviving (and Thriving in) Your Psychology Thesis

    6. Remember that editing is easier than writing. Get your thoughts down without worrying too much (at first, that is) about style and grammar. Author Anne Lamott (2005) wrote that perfectionism is ...

  16. Best Wishes for PhD Defence or Viva

    20. My dear, congratulations to you on your forthcoming PhD defence. I am greeting congratulations because I know that you will scale through easily. Having come this far, you are unstoppable. Good luck to you. 21. This is a remarkable point in your life. I wish you a smooth ride as you prepare for your PhD defence. Congratulations in advance.

  17. 5 Tips for Enjoying Your Thesis Journey

    There are a plethora of resources available to you throughout your thesis journey. I suggest using any on-campus resources that can assist in your data collection and data analysis. ... Good luck! Grace Brenner is a junior at the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs studying in Nonprofit Management and Leadership with minors in ...

  18. Quick Tips: Night Before Final Thesis Defense : r/GradSchool

    36. Reply. tardarsource. • 3 yr. ago. The best advice I found the night before my PhD defense, was to relax the night before and enjoy the defense itself. They wouldn't have let you defend your thesis if they were not confident in the work you produced. The defense is a formality.

  19. 6 tips for writing your thesis acknowledgements · Gildeprint

    4. Mention all other parties. Such as a friendly administrative assistant, the employees of your printing company or the author of the thesis you used as an example. 5. End with your personal word of thanks. Mention your family, friends, partner or other acquaintances that helped you during your PhD period. 6.

  20. Good luck with your studies in China

    I'm talking to a graduate student working on a thesis at a university in mainland China. What about this? 祝你好运与您的研究中。 ... (Good luck with your studies!) How could I say this in Chinese? Thanks! brofeelgood Senior Member. English, 中文 Oct 7, 2017 #10 ...

  21. Ten hacks to quick-start your thesis writing

    5. Don't wait for input from co-authors. If you want to get your thesis and papers done, you need to lead the writing process. This means don't wait until you hear from your co-authors or supervisors on what you have written before you make your next writing step. Move on and keep writing.

  22. Secrets to a Good Thesis Defense Presentation

    A coherent structure is essential for guiding your audience through your thesis defense presentation. Prezi can help by offering a map view of your content's layout upfront, providing a clear path through your introduction, methodology, results, and conclusion. This clarity keeps your audience engaged and makes your arguments easier to follow.

  23. Good luck with your thesis

    Translate Good luck with your thesis. See Spanish-English translations with audio pronunciations, examples, and word-by-word explanations.

  24. Inspirational quotes: 50 motivational words to brighten your day

    50 motivational quotes. "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." — E.E. Cummings. "Your self-worth is determined by you. You don't have to depend on someone telling you who ...

  25. Good Luck On Your Thesis Defense Quotes & Sayings

    QUOTES. There's always the same amount of good luck and bad luck in the world. If one person doesn't get the bad luck, somebody else will have to get it in their place. There's always the same amount of good and evil, too. We can't eradicate evil, we can only evict it, force it to move across town. And when evil moves, some good always goes ...

  26. Good Luck Getting Your Hands on Buldak Carbonara Ramen

    In a 33-second video posted on TikTok earlier this month, the source of elation is a bright pink pack of buldak carbonara ramen. As of Friday, the video has garnered more than 57.7 million views ...

  27. There Is No Great Solution For Xbox And Bethesda's ...

    Fallout 4 remains a top 10 Steam game with over 100,000 concurrent players a night. But making a new game anytime soon? Good luck.