Dissertation Writing

Reviewing and Revising Your Dissertation

1. Review your work as a whole
Keep your outline plan in front of you and go through your work as a whole. Have you
developed a clear argument in response to your central question or dissertation title? Have
you defined key words and concepts early on? Try to imagine a friend or someone who
has no knowledge of the subject reading your dissertation, and ask yourself whether you
have done enough to explain each term and concept.

2. Review each section

Read over each section, and make up a title for it to help you check that all points and
details are directly relevant. Does the content all belong in this section? Is there too much
description and not enough analysis? You may need to be more explicit about the
implications of a point. In other words, make it clear to the reader why the point is included,
and how it helps to address the problems or questions within your inquiry.

3. Review each paragraph

Ensure that the first sentence of each paragraph introduces the idea you want to
communicate and shows how this paragraph relates to the discussion so far. Opening
phrases such as: "In addition to this problem," "Furthermore," "However," and "In contrast
to this view," can help to clarify this relationship. Bear in mind that each paragraph should
have just one key idea. Subsequent sentences in the paragraph might include:
An explanation or development of the point you're making
A quote or indirect reference from your reading that supports it
An example of your own
A hint at what still remains to be addressed

4. Review each sentence

When editing such a large document, it's easy to make simple mistakes. Make sure that
you have no sentences longer than three lines and carefully review all punctuation. To
help you with this, read each sentence aloud. Check all quotations are surrounded by
quotation marks and check for common homophone errors (like their/there and
advice/advise), and ensure your apostrophes are in the right place.
Identify the main subject of each sentence and the main action. Are they buried among too
many unnecessary words and phrases? Cut every unnecessary word and read again.
Don't underestimate the importance of spellchecking and pay particular attention to the
spellings of key names and theories. Make sure your use of capital letters is both correct
and consistent.
Taken verbatim from Stella Klein, 1st April 2013 www.theguardian.com/education/2013/apr/01/howto-review-and-revise-your-dissertation

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