Hello! Hope you’re having a nice start to spring, wherever you are in the world! I thought that I could give you a little update on my master’s thesis, which I am writing as part of my DRMCCA studies.
We have the entire spring term to write our master’s thesis. My plan for the writing and research has looked like this, in a simplified version:
- Autumn 2020: decided on the topic, made a plan for the spring, started contacting people to interview. Started on the literature review, including reading up on our topic and making initial notes.
- January: wrote the sections for the introduction, context, literature review and methodology. Also booked appointments for all our interviews.
- February: conducted all our interviews (via Zoom), then analysed all the answers and wrote the results section.
- March: analysed the results and wrote the discussion and conclusion sections. Submitted our first complete draft to our supervisors at the end of the month!
- April: it’s now mid-April and we have just received back the feedback on the complete draft, and will use the rest of the month to edit and refine all the details.
Throughout the last few months, we have also read through and edited parts as we went along. Since we are writing in a pair, we have taken turns in writing different sections and then edited each others sections, and discussed anything that needed clarification. In May, we will submit the final version and in June, we will have a presentation of our thesis.
I have really enjoyed the process so far and it has actually felt less stressful than I had imagined. I think it has worked smoothly because we have been really organised throughout the process, and focused on making realistic progress each week. We have also communicated with each other through weekly (sometimes daily) meetings and haven’t been afraid to give any comments or feedback on each other’s sections.
My biggest recommendations to anyone writing a thesis is to 1) start early, 2) make a plan for the entire semester and set realistic daily/weekly/monthly goals, to always have an idea on what your next task is, but 3) be open to changes & flexibility if there are difficult obstacles.
If you have any questions about thesis writing, DRMCCA studies or student life at Lund University, feel free to drop them below!
Emelie