A to Z Guide to Dissertation
and Thesis Writing
Michael J Hunt, the author of
the A to Z Guide to Dissertation and
Thesis Writing is a graduate of Keele
University, Staffordshire, and is now
an editor and novelist. He learned the
editing craft while serving a printing
apprenticeship many years ago, and
he has had over ten years experience
in editing essays, dissertations, and
theses, mainly for ESL students and
academics.
Michael J Hunt, Freelance Academic Editor
Abstract: An easy-to-use Guide, copiously cross-referenced,
for students looking for quick solutions to the difficulties
that academic writing presents and for those who need to
know how dissertations and theses are structured, how to
prepare for them, what should be put into them, the best
way to present them and the problems theyre likely to
encounter when writing them. It will also be useful for
academics seeking career advancement or wishing to
submit articles to professional journals.
Keywords: Academics; Academic Editing; Academic Ter-
minology; Academic Writing; Cross-Referencing; Defini-
tions; Descriptions; Dissertation Writing; Editors; Editing;
Meeting University Deadlines; Proofreading; Reducing
Stress; References; Researching; Students Support; Thesis
Writing; Writing Difficulties; Writing Schedules
Introduction
I compiled this Guide primarily for my English as a
Second Language (ESL) students, since nearly all my
clients come from overseas, and also for some first lan-
guage English speaking students who have difficulties
with reading and writing. However, I now realize it has
a much broader scope, since not every successful aca-
demic is, by definition, a natural writer. I believe, there-
fore, that it will be of value to anyone at all academic
levels to have in their computers an extensive range of
references and cross-references to terminology and the
various writing difficulties in an easy-to-use format.
About me: Im an editor of fiction and nonfiction. I learned
the craft many years ago when I was an apprentice
printer and I continued with it when I was writing histor-
ical fiction by editing my own books and those of other
authors. However, Im not a grammar specialist; there-
fore, there are likely to be some areas of disagreement
about my definitions and suggested applications; so, if
your supervisor believes something Ive recommended
is wrong, you must listen to him or her and not to me.
Expert Insights 1
 A to Z Guide to Dissertation and Thesis Writing
About the Guide: its an easy-to-use refer-
ence for anyone looking for quick solutions
to the many difficulties that academic writ-
ing presents and also for those who need
to know how dissertations and theses are
structured, how to prepare for them, what
should be put into them, the best way to
present them and the problems theyre
likely to encounter when writing them. It
will also be of use to students seeking fur-
ther advancement in their careers and to
established academics who submit articles
to professional journals. Although its pri-
marily a reference, you might find it helpful
to read through it so youll have an idea of its
scope and how it can be of help to you.
What the Guide is not: its not a specialist
grammar manual and neither is it intended
to replace the official Style Guides, which,
although highly comprehensive, are diffi-
cult to digest and are not designed to deal
with the issues addressed in this Guide.
About the entries: most have come from my
editing experiences although Ive used the
highly detailed official Style Guides for the
more prescriptive information, which Ive
reduced in order to make it easier to under-
stand. I hope this combination will provide
you with the support youll undoubtedly
need as you compile the all-important
manuscript that will mark the culmination
of a great deal of hard work. If you should
find any errors in the Guide, or wish to of-
fer suggestions about how to improve it,
please contact me on thesisdissertationedit.
co.uk or .com
About You: dissertation and thesis writing
can be stressful; therefore, since the best
way to reduce stress is to be well prepared,
as soon as you know your deadline, devise
a research and writing schedule and stick
to it as closely as you can (see Part 2).
I dedicate this Guide to all the brave people
who study in a foreign language or who have
problems in understanding written English,
because I certainly wouldnt have the courage,
or the ability, to do the same in your language
or with a similar handicap.
2 Expert Insights
PART ONE
A to Z OF ACADEMIC TERMS,
PRACTICES, AND PROBLEMS
Part 2 Covers Dissertation and
Thesis Writing
The italicized items at the end of the entries are
cross-references designed to help you to find
what youre looking for, no matter what words
or phrases you use in your search. They will
also direct you to those items in the Guide that
will allow you to write about your subject with
more confidence and in more detail.
A, An, The; Definite and Indefinite Ar-
ticles: the problems for ESL students is ei-
ther not knowing when to use one of these,
or which one to use. An a or an should
be put before a noun thats used in a gen-
eral sense, such as a house or an apple,
while the should be put before a particular
noun, such as the Washington White House.
Not all nouns require an article, but dont
worry, because its unlikely that youll be
penalized for not knowing which one to
use, or whether or not to use one at all; just
try to be consistent throughout your manu-
script. See Abbreviations for other exam-
ples. (Abbreviations; Clarity; Consistency;
Grammar; Text)
Abbreviations: spell them out the first
time you use them, but not in chapter head-
ings. If you dont do this your examiner
may have to look them up. Afterwards, you
can continue with the abbreviation. How-
ever, if you dont use it frequently and it
appears several chapters later, spell it out
again as a reminder.
Example: This article first appeared
in the Times Literary Supplement
(TLS) on 15 November 19....
Some abbreviations have entered the lan-
guage and dont need spelling out. Note:
the definite and indefinite articles are in
italics here:
 A to Z Guide to Dissertation and Thesis Writing
Examples: (i) an indispensable piece
of equipment in a hospital is an elec-
troencephalogram (EEG) machine,
(ii) During WW1, trench warfare be-
came commonplace ... (iii) UNESCO
has produced numerous papers on the
subject of ... (iv) The US and the
UK have a special relationship; both
are key supporters of the UN, (v) A
UN initiative in the Middle-East ....
Abbreviations in lower case should have
full stops after each initial; a.m., e.g.,
i.e.; however, if you use etal., in a refer-
ence, always add the full stop to al. and
follow it with a comma, since al. is the ab-
breviated word.
Dates of significant events are abbrevi-
ated in terms of locality; for instance, 4.19
and 5.16 in Korea, while some are used
universally, such as 9/11. However, 9/11
is not the usual way to express a date in the
UK, even though its universally accepted,
since in the UK the month always comes
after the day of the week; hence, simi-
lar usages are ambiguous in the UK, and
in academic writing clarity is important.
(Acronyms; Brackets (round); Clarity; Dates;
Definite and Indefinite Articles; Lists; Termi-
nology; Time Periods)
Abstracts: an Abstract will be about 120
words for dissertations and between 300
and 500 words for theses; but check these
numbers with your Style Guide. It should
describe, (i) the scope of the work youve un-
dertaken, (ii) your methods of investigation,
(iii) the conclusions youve reached, and
(iv) any contribution youve made to knowl-
edge about the subject. (Lists; The Structure
of Your Dissertation or Thesis, Part 2)
Acknowledgments: (Editing; The Structure
of Your Dissertation or Thesis, Part 2)
Acronyms: are words based on initial let-
ters, phrases, or syllables of other words.
Examples: UNESCO (United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cul-
tural Organization); PIN (Personal
Expert Insights
Identification Number); scuba
(self-contained breathing apparatus;
laser (light amplification by stimu-
lated emission of radiation).
(Abbreviations; Brackets (round);
Terminology)
Anxiety; Stress: this is the most common
of all feelings as your Dissertation and
Thesis deadline approaches. The ways to
reduce it are, (i) make a research and writ-
ing plan as soon as you know what your
subject and deadline will be, (ii) stick to it,
(iii) dont waste time, and (iv) dont neglect
your eating and sleeping, so do everything
you can to stay healthy. (Deadline; Disserta-
tion and Thesis Writing in Part 2; Time, the
use of)
Apostrophes: (Lists; Possessives)
Applications for University Places,
Courses, or Jobs: when you write any-
thing to order, always be aware of the pur-
pose for which it is being written. Imagine
you are the receiver and ask yourself what
you would need to see included for the po-
sition and not necessarily what you would
like them to know about yourself. They
need to know not only if you have the ca-
pacity to complete a course, or do a job, but,
more importantly, if it is the right one for
you, given your working and educational
experience, and that youre not likely to
leave prematurely to do something else.
Course leaders and employers hate to lose
people, since it means they themselves
have failed to choose the right candidates.
Also, dont send more information than
they ask for. (CVs)
Article Writing for Professional Jour-
nals: unlike a dissertation or thesis an
article for publication must be grammati-
cally perfect; there isnt any latitude, since
its intended for professional publication.
Heres what you need to know:
Publishers should give you a guide to pub-
lication so you can write it and organize
it according to their specifications.
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