what are some common pitfalls to avoid when writing a thesis
Every year, many PhD students submit theses that end up having big problems, not because the research was bad, but because they made avoidable mistakes. Each year, numerous Ph.D. students hand in theses that have serious issues that could have been avoided without affecting the quality of their research. In case you are writing your Ph.D. thesis or dissertation, this guide highlights exactly what is going to go wrong and how to overcome it.
Pitfall 1 - An Introduction That Lacks Strategic Direction
The Problem: Too many doctoral students look at their introduction chapter as nothing more than an overview and get straight down to business. What ends up happening is the absence of a proper research gap definition, a lack of clear research aims and objectives, and an examiner left without any understanding of the thesis’s position or organization.
What the examiners expect: An introductory paragraph that will aid in providing a context for your research, that will make clear the research gap, state your research objectives and questions, and provide guidance on all that has been written in subsequent chapters.
The Solution:
- Begin by introducing the general context of your research
- Present the specific research gap, questions and aims, and objectives of your research explicitly (avoid any guessing games for the examiners)
- End with outlining your thesis and every single chapter included therein
Let a professional review your PhD thesis chapters for proper structuring from the very start
Pitfall 2 - Relying on Definitions Instead of Strategic Decisions
The Problem: Saying “qualitative methodology has been employed since qualitative research provides opportunities for conducting an in-depth study” – the point here is the definition of qualitative research, not a rationale. This is the worst error that can be made during thesis writing.
What the examiners want: Any methodological decision regarding design, number of samples, tools for collecting data, and analysis procedures should be justified according to the specifics of your research question, not generic.
The Solution:
- Justify why your particular methodology is better than other options
- Discuss the drawbacks of your methodology honestly.
- Describe the process of your analysis comprehensively enough for someone else to repeat it.
- Get your thesis reviewed by a subject matter expert before submitting it.
Pitfall 3 – A Lack of Cohesion Across Sections
The Problem: Since chapters are written months apart, each chapter ends up being a stand-alone piece. The examiner feels like the introduction, findings, and conclusion relate to three separate studies.
What the examiners want: Continuity – chapters that begin by referencing earlier work and end by bridging into the next chapter.
The Solution:
- Write a single-paragraph “argument spine” – your main argument in plain language – before writing any chapter.
- Review your chapter beginning and ending sections in order, testing if the argument holds together.
- Make sure every findings section addresses a specific research question or objective.
Pitfall 4 — Failing to Demonstrate Original Contribution
The Problem: Over-claiming (“this study is the first ever to…”) calls for close investigation, whereas under-claiming (“this study seeks to contribute…”) means that the examiners cannot pinpoint your contribution.
What the examiners want: A clear originality claim that you substantiate, mentioned both in your introduction and conclusion.
Forms of originality acceptable for a PhD thesis:
- Applying an existing theory to a new field or population
- Formulating a sophisticated methodology for an existing problem
- Revealing findings that contradict or build on current theoretical assumptions
- Creating a synthesis between two unrelated fields of research
Pitfall 5 — Plagiarism and Self-Plagiarism
Almost all journals discuss plagiarism superficially, but fail to include the sort of plagiarism that surprises even experienced candidates.
The problem: Reproducing substantial parts of your conference paper, published papers, or even an earlier version of your draft, without acknowledging it, constitutes misconduct when you are pursuing your PhD. This is because universities have high-tech plagiarism detection software, and the examiners who come from your field will easily recognize your previous papers.
What the examiners want: All sources that have been used must be cited properly.
The Solution:
- Include a specific section in the thesis for all previous publications
- A plagiarism detection company should be employed instead of any online service.
- Reframing your previous work to accommodate the thesis arguments
Pitfall 6 — A Lack of Consistency in Content Style
The problem: Due to the lengthy time required to write a thesis, candidates change tone, tense, language, and voice as they progress through different chapters.
What the examiners want:
- There are varied explanations of technical language in the different chapters.
- The mixture of tenses with the use of past tenses in methodology and findings chapters, while using present tenses in the literature review chapter.
- Using active and passive voices without a valid cause.
- Using general academic language like “many researchers have observed” and “it has been noted that” without giving references.
The Problem:
- Create your own writing style manual before you start writing
- Do an entire reading of your work after writing to check the consistency of your academic writing
- Seek professional proofreading and editing services that handle PhD theses before final submission
Pitfall 7 — Failing to Address Subject-Specific Standards
The Problem: Most students formulate their thesis according to general guidelines while ignoring that different disciplines expect different things from an examination candidate.
What the examiners want: Your PhD thesis should have a certain format, citation style, chapter structure and arguments according to the norms of your particular discipline.
The Solution:
- Study at least five completed theses in your discipline or department before deciding upon the structure.
- Ask your tutor explicitly what the expectations of your external examiner are
- Use the research papers writing service and thesis writing service that employs experts in your field rather than generalists.
Pitfall 8 – A Conclusion That Summarizes Without Resolving
The Problem: Many candidates summarise all that was covered by each chapter – a description of what was discovered, not an answer to the research questions posed. One of the most common – and heavily penalised – pitfalls when writing a PhD thesis is a lack of ability to conclude in such a way as to show that you really understood your research.
What the examiners want: A conclusion that answers all of your research questions, states clearly your original contribution to knowledge, discusses any limitations of the research and gives future directions of development.
The solution:
- Answer each of your research questions explicitly, without assuming that it was done in the findings chapter.
- State your original contribution to knowledge confidently.
- Explain how your results affect theory and practice.
- Discuss any limitations of your research without devaluing its results.
- Tie up your conclusions with your gap statement from the introduction.
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