Practical tips on writing your thesis

• start writing from day one. It is a good idea to keep a research diary and write daily about what you have done in relation to your project what you have read, how you have interpreted your reading, outcomes from supervision meetings etc. As your research progresses, you will read increasing amounts of academic writing and get used to conveying complex ideas or interpreting others' ideas in writing. Your confidence will grow and you will find that your writing improves
• find systems that work for you to draw together your writing and notes from your reading into themes or chapters of your thesis. For example, if you work better with visual tools, colour coded systems may be effective for you. Different colour notebooks or putting visual symbols on the spines may help you to manage and organise the large amount of writing you will produce over the course of your research
• become a confident IT user; there are all sorts of ways that you can make it work to your advantage, whether it is creating electronic catalogue systems for your notes or using Read and Write software
• contact the Disability Support Service in your institution. Ask them if they can suggest methods or assistive software that could help you
• talk through with others the outline of what you want to say in your thesis and tape the discussions. Their questions will help you to shape what you want to say in your thesis
• use language support tutors or learning support assistants to assist you to develop the high level language skills you will need to complete your thesis
• seek frequent feedback from your supervisor(s) on your writing. As you submit drafts of your work, work constructively with their feedback to improve your academic writing
• show the final thesis to your supervisor(s)and ask their advice on its readiness for submission
• if you are disabled and, without reasonable adjustment, would be placed at a ‘substantial disadvantage' in the completion of your thesis, find a reliable person to proof-read your work for spelling, expression and grammatical errors. The disability adviser in your institution will help you to access that support and DSA can fund it
• if you have a physical impairment and the ‘writing up' phase will raise barriers for you, you should talk with whoever provides your DSA. If, for example, you have RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) affecting use of your hands or wrists and would need a typist for your work, DSA may fund that requirement.

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