Hi, I'm doing an MSc in Psychology in Ireland. I currently have approx 11 months to get my thesis done as I requested an extention due to external pressures so I have everything else done except for the masters thesis dissertation. I have the topic, it requires a word count of 10,000 words in total (I know, very small amount indeed). How long should 10,000 words take, it consists of both quantitative and qualitatative matter. Is there a way of getting an A in my thesis because I am desperate to do so. But I lack structure of how to proceed with this, like time lines and planning. Would anyone have good advice or any advice on a strategy to complete this consistently and practically? Like for example what steps should I take, how long should I be doing it for ect? Please help! Need suggestions/guidance/links as I won't get to speak to my supervisor until she is available again next summer. I am at your mercy people!
:-(

Hi there, Probably the best starting point is to buy yourself a book on this issue. There are loads to choose from so best to wander into a book store and see which ones you find more appealing....then go to the library or Amazon to loan/buy. Good luck.

PS, As for how to get an 'A' , I have no idea. Never got one yet, I would suggest it just needs to be really good!

What I found writing my thesis was that writing something was always better than writing nothing. Even if the quality of the writing isnt there I would always suggest it is better to set yourself a daily writing target. What I did was set up a spreadsheet on Excel with words needed for each chapter etc and then an average amount of words to do per day/week etc. This way if I was having a bad day and I just needed the night off that was fine, but my average words required would go up for other days and across the week.....this was purely a motivational tool. I ended up getting rid of huge chunks of text later on that I looked back on with complete astonishment that I was capable of writing such tosh, but it helped me on a day to day basis. I also tended to start writing up very early, again mainly for motivational reasons. When I came to actually start my write up period I had actually passed the word limit, a lot of it was nonsense, but it was far better than starting with blank pages. That's the best thing I can suggest I'm afraid.

I'm sorry you're feeling this way. It sounds like you're a bit lost and you might need to try a few things to see what works best for you regarding timeline as we all work in different ways. It may be best to start with looking at the sections you need, then do a bullet point plan of what to include into each section, then draft it, etc.

Like I said, some people find it easier to work on one section at a time, others do several so you'll need to see what's best for you.

A few of us around here use/have used this http://mytomatoes.com/ and found helpful.

I'm not sure there's a recipe of 'how to get an A' either... sorry!

Good luck and if there's anything else we can help you with, just give us a shout.

Hi LittleMsSunshine,

Let me tell you what I think your problem is. I think you are looking at the dissertation as too much of a big challenge, and as a result you have become a little bit scared and have started to worry. However, my advice is don't look at the mountain you have to climb. Just take the first step and then the next step and don't worry about the obstacles and challenges ahead. As you reach them you will overcome them and before you know it you will be on top of the mountain.

11 months is more than enough time to write 10,000 words. I am assuming here that you have already articulated your research aim and objectives and hence your research question. I guess the first thing you can then do is to start gathering your literature if you haven't done so already. Then start to analyse the literature into what you will include and what you will discard. You do not need to start with your introduction chapter as this can actually be written at the end but you need to have a clear focus in mind of your aim and the main methodology you wish to follow. Once you have constructed your lit review you can then do your methodology. The literature might actually provide with some good pointers to inform your own methodology. For example, you stated you will use qualitative and quantitative data. Will this therefore be a triangulation approach or just simply a multi-method approach based on an experimental design? Once you have a clear view of your methodology you can then gather your data and analyse it. How much time you should spend on each section is like asking how long is a piece of string. You should should simply chip away at it by spending 15min per day on the paper. Looking at the task as a whole is demotivating but setting small goals will enable you to be more motivated to achieve your goal.

How do you get an A? Well it all depends on how coherent your work is. You need to present a cohesive, well-researched and well presented piece of work. Your objectives need to be realistic and achievalbe. Your literature review needs to be critical rather than a descriptive list, identifying the key debates and which should demonstrate your own input to the discussion and also should identify appropriate gaps. Your methodology needs to be appropriate (fit for purpose) but recognising the limitations and criticisms. Your analysis needs to demonstrate a good level or depth of synthesis between your findings and the literature. Your conclusion should be reflective, assessing whether or not your aim and objectives had been reached, lessons learnt, identified areas for future research etc. It should be a flowing piece of writing integrating the chapters and it should be logical. All these things will enable you to get A. Seriously.

Now would you like to buy my ebook which is much more detailed?
Best of luck.

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