Typical Mistakes in PhD Thesis & How to Avoid Them

You might be aware of the complexity level of a PhD thesis. Lots of time, hard work, effort, and extensive research are what will enable you to craft an impressive thesis.

In this blog, let’s uncover the major mistakes students make in their PhD thesis and ways to avoid them.

Common mistakes in the PhD thesis and ways to avoid them:

1.  Not writing a specific and clear research question:

The most common mistake students commit is in the research question of their PhD thesis. At all costs, avoid weak and vague research questions. The quality of your PhD thesis is dependent on the research question. This is because it guides the overall thesis.

Neither should it be too broad nor too narrow.

A vague or unclear research question hinders the effectiveness of the literature review, methodology, and data analysis. Moreover, the significance of writing a strong research question cannot be ignored because it is the compass directing the entire thesis writing.

You can also seek help from a PhD Thesis Help Service for crafting a specific research question.

Tips to avoid:

1. A research question that lacks specificity and clarity must be edited. For this, you can seek advice from your advisor.

2.  Procrastination and starting late:

Some PhD students start their thesis late. This not only results in late submission but also affects the quality of work.

Tips to avoid:

1. Write a small paragraph each day. At the last minute, you will not have to rush.
2. Plan your thesis writing in advance.
3. Divide your thesis into smaller sections. Don’t forget to set deadlines.
4. You can also use some productivity techniques, such as pomodoro techniques.

3. Descriptive and weak literature review:

Many students consider literature reviews as a long summary of the sources rather than a critical discussion. This affects the quality of your work because examiners are not expecting you to list existing knowledge, but want to see how you place your work within the existing research.

An insufficient literature review confuses the readers and causes them to question the significance of the research. Literature review helps the readers to identify the research gaps and have a strong theoretical framework.

For a critical literature review, you must critically engage with sources.

Tips to avoid:

1. Identify gaps by conducting a literature review. Also, engage with sources critically.
2. Compare and contrast existing studies.

4. Lack of structure and organization:

Structure and organization in thesis writing are essential. Without them, your examiners will not be able to follow your content.

So, focus on the sequence of the chapters and smooth transitions from one chapter to another. This adds coherence and logical flow.

Tips to avoid:

1. Plan and outline each chapter.
2. Build a connection between every chapter with a smooth transition.
3. In the chapters, make sure each idea is connected to the other.

5. Not following the university’s instructions:

University guidelines regarding word count, citation style, and formatting are important.

Moreover, you must follow these instructions at all costs because if you don’t, then regardless of your content quality, your grades will suffer.

Tips to avoid:

1. Carefully understand the university requirements before you begin with the thesis.
2. Formatting must be done according to the university guidelines.

6. Errors in references:

This is the mistake that will cancel your whole thesis. This is because if you don’t add accurate references consistently and miss citations, then it will result in plagiarism. It affects the overall credibility of your thesis.

The significance of accurate reference lies in academic integrity.

Tips to avoid:

1. Use the reference management software.
2. You must follow the required citation style.

7. Not justifying the methodology:

Don’t make the mistake of writing methodology without a justification. The examiners are expecting to see how you did what you did and why. So, don’t just focus on the method.

Tips to avoid:

1. Justify your methodology from philosophy to sampling to data analysis.

8. Complex and vague writing:

Complex and vague vocabulary is the major reason behind losing grades. Therefore, write with clarity and focus. Strong academic writing involves clarity and flow in ideas.

Tips to avoid:

1. In your sentences, focus on clarity instead of complexity.
2. Use straightforward language in your thesis to explain ideas.
3. Remove unnecessary words and jargon from your thesis before submission.

9. Not editing and proofreading the thesis before submission:

The mistake of not proofreading the PhD thesis before submission will affect your overall grade.  Errors in the thesis affect the quality and credibility of your thesis.

This is the least you want; you must not avoid this step at all.

Tips to avoid:

1. Proofread the thesis multiple times and each chapter individually.
2. You can consider seeking assistance fromthesis help in Dubai if you need a professional proofreader.

Final thoughts

PhD thesis writing is difficult as you have to invest time and effort. However, once you avoid all the mistakes mentioned above, you can submit it confidently because there is no chance that your grades will suffer.