The Art and Science of Writing a Thesis

by Ronda Davé

The science of writing a thesis you already know well. It includes all the knowledge you bring to writing it—knowledge of your field, knowledge of your topic, and knowledge of writing itself. The art of writing a thesis you may not have mastered. It involves certain attitudes and habits of mind that writers use to produce creative, insightful work.

Original writing is painful. It's basic and austere. No gadgets or innovations can make it easier or less disagreeable. To write well requires a tricky balance of a complex bundle of traits and skills. It depends as much on knowledge of your self as your topic. It's writing's curious requisite for both scientific ability and artistic sensibility that prevents many students from finishing a thesis.

Most graduate students think of themselves primarily as scientists and of the thesis as quintessential science. They're well versed in the laws governing the variables they study and can carry out valid research on their topics. Where they fall short is in actually writing the thesis manuscript. They don't understand that thesis writing is creative writing and that no rules exist to guide their writing in the way that logico-deductive analysis guides their research. Certainly there are rules regarding the order of information and the format of a thesis. But there are no rules to generate insightful sentences.