How to write an undergraduate thesis: avoid common mistakes?


So the time has come in your education that you are required to write your undergraduate thesis. You have been dreading it since freshman year because it will prove to be the most frustrating and time consuming task that you have done so far. Well, it doesn’t have to be this stressful bother. If you avoid these common mistakes, your thesis could be written without a hitch and in less time.

There are some common mistakes that students make when it comes to writing their thesis. Here is a quick guide to avoiding those mistakes.

  1. Start early
  2. Don’t wait too long to start your paper. This is not like the other papers that you have written in the past. It is very involved and will need a lot of time and attention.

  3. Create an outline
  4. Do not make the mistake of skipping your outline for this paper. An outline is very important because it will help you organize your thoughts and help you come up with a thesis statement. It will make sure that the information that you are taking notes on will eventually wind up in the paper as well. An outline will help narrow down your research to topics that will be discussed in your paper.

  5. Do a little research before creating your thesis
  6. A lot of students make the mistake of writing their thesis without gathering enough information. You should have a good grasp on the subject before you decide to write your thesis statement. The thesis statement is the whole reason why your are writing the paper and you need to have some background information already completed before you know what to write your paper on.

  7. Cite sources as you go
  8. Don’t wait until you are trying to write you paper to figure out where you got the information. Make it a habit to write the source information with the notes. You can keep a separate record of the citation information for every source that you use separate and then just write the author’s last name and year next to the notes for that source. This will make it easier for you in the end. Make sure the write the source information in the same format that you will need for the paper. This way you don’t have to try and find the source again to get something that you forgot.

If you avoid these common mistakes, you will have a much better experience with your undergraduate thesis.