thesis diy

How To Write A Dissertation Or Thesis

8 straightforward steps to craft an a-grade dissertation.

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) Expert Reviewed By: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | June 2020

Writing a dissertation or thesis is not a simple task. It takes time, energy and a lot of will power to get you across the finish line. It’s not easy – but it doesn’t necessarily need to be a painful process. If you understand the big-picture process of how to write a dissertation or thesis, your research journey will be a lot smoother.  

In this post, I’m going to outline the big-picture process of how to write a high-quality dissertation or thesis, without losing your mind along the way. If you’re just starting your research, this post is perfect for you. Alternatively, if you’ve already submitted your proposal, this article which covers how to structure a dissertation might be more helpful.

How To Write A Dissertation: 8 Steps

• Clearly understand what a dissertation (or thesis) is
• Find a unique and valuable research topic
• Craft a convincing research proposal
• Write up a strong introduction chapter
• Review the existing literature and compile a literature review
• Design a rigorous research strategy and undertake your own research
• Present the findings of your research
• Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications

Step 1: Understand exactly what a dissertation is

This probably sounds like a no-brainer, but all too often, students come to us for help with their research and the underlying issue is that they don’t fully understand what a dissertation (or thesis) actually is.

So, what is a dissertation?

At its simplest, a dissertation or thesis is a formal piece of research , reflecting the standard research process . But what is the standard research process, you ask? The research process involves 4 key steps:

• Ask a very specific, well-articulated question (s) (your research topic)
• See what other researchers have said about it (if they’ve already answered it)
• If they haven’t answered it adequately, undertake your own data collection and analysis in a scientifically rigorous fashion
• Answer your original question(s), based on your analysis findings

In short, the research process is simply about asking and answering questions in a systematic fashion . This probably sounds pretty obvious, but people often think they’ve done “research”, when in fact what they have done is:

• Started with a vague, poorly articulated question
• Not taken the time to see what research has already been done regarding the question
• Collected data and opinions that support their gut and undertaken a flimsy analysis
• Drawn a shaky conclusion, based on that analysis

If you want to see the perfect example of this in action, look out for the next Facebook post where someone claims they’ve done “research”… All too often, people consider reading a few blog posts to constitute research. Its no surprise then that what they end up with is an opinion piece, not research. Okay, okay – I’ll climb off my soapbox now.

The key takeaway here is that a dissertation (or thesis) is a formal piece of research, reflecting the research process. It’s not an opinion piece , nor a place to push your agenda or try to convince someone of your position. Writing a good dissertation involves asking a question and taking a systematic, rigorous approach to answering it.

If you understand this and are comfortable leaving your opinions or preconceived ideas at the door, you’re already off to a good start!

Step 2: Find a unique, valuable research topic

As we saw, the first step of the research process is to ask a specific, well-articulated question. In other words, you need to find a research topic that asks a specific question or set of questions (these are called research questions ). Sounds easy enough, right? All you’ve got to do is identify a question or two and you’ve got a winning research topic. Well, not quite…

A good dissertation or thesis topic has a few important attributes. Specifically, a solid research topic should be:

Let’s take a closer look at these:

Attribute #1: Clear

Your research topic needs to be crystal clear about what you’re planning to research, what you want to know, and within what context. There shouldn’t be any ambiguity or vagueness about what you’ll research.

Here’s an example of a clearly articulated research topic:

An analysis of consumer-based factors influencing organisational trust in British low-cost online equity brokerage firms.

As you can see in the example, its crystal clear what will be analysed (factors impacting organisational trust), amongst who (consumers) and in what context (British low-cost equity brokerage firms, based online).

Need a helping hand?

Attribute #2:   Unique

Your research should be asking a question(s) that hasn’t been asked before, or that hasn’t been asked in a specific context (for example, in a specific country or industry).

For example, sticking organisational trust topic above, it’s quite likely that organisational trust factors in the UK have been investigated before, but the context (online low-cost equity brokerages) could make this research unique. Therefore, the context makes this research original.

One caveat when using context as the basis for originality – you need to have a good reason to suspect that your findings in this context might be different from the existing research – otherwise, there’s no reason to warrant researching it.

Attribute #3: Important

Simply asking a unique or original question is not enough – the question needs to create value. In other words, successfully answering your research questions should provide some value to the field of research or the industry. You can’t research something just to satisfy your curiosity. It needs to make some form of contribution either to research or industry.

For example, researching the factors influencing consumer trust would create value by enabling businesses to tailor their operations and marketing to leverage factors that promote trust. In other words, it would have a clear benefit to industry.

So, how do you go about finding a unique and valuable research topic? We explain that in detail in this video post – How To Find A Research Topic . Yeah, we’ve got you covered 😊

Step 3: Write a convincing research proposal

Once you’ve pinned down a high-quality research topic, the next step is to convince your university to let you research it. No matter how awesome you think your topic is, it still needs to get the rubber stamp before you can move forward with your research. The research proposal is the tool you’ll use for this job.

So, what’s in a research proposal?

The main “job” of a research proposal is to convince your university, advisor or committee that your research topic is worthy of approval. But convince them of what? Well, this varies from university to university, but generally, they want to see that:

• You have a clearly articulated, unique and important topic (this might sound familiar…)
• You’ve done some initial reading of the existing literature relevant to your topic (i.e. a literature review)
• You have a provisional plan in terms of how you will collect data and analyse it (i.e. a methodology)

At the proposal stage, it’s (generally) not expected that you’ve extensively reviewed the existing literature , but you will need to show that you’ve done enough reading to identify a clear gap for original (unique) research. Similarly, they generally don’t expect that you have a rock-solid research methodology mapped out, but you should have an idea of whether you’ll be undertaking qualitative or quantitative analysis , and how you’ll collect your data (we’ll discuss this in more detail later).

Long story short – don’t stress about having every detail of your research meticulously thought out at the proposal stage – this will develop as you progress through your research. However, you do need to show that you’ve “done your homework” and that your research is worthy of approval .

So, how do you go about crafting a high-quality, convincing proposal? We cover that in detail in this video post – How To Write A Top-Class Research Proposal . We’ve also got a video walkthrough of two proposal examples here .

Step 4: Craft a strong introduction chapter

Once your proposal’s been approved, its time to get writing your actual dissertation or thesis! The good news is that if you put the time into crafting a high-quality proposal, you’ve already got a head start on your first three chapters – introduction, literature review and methodology – as you can use your proposal as the basis for these.

Handy sidenote – our free dissertation & thesis template is a great way to speed up your dissertation writing journey.

What’s the introduction chapter all about?

The purpose of the introduction chapter is to set the scene for your research (dare I say, to introduce it…) so that the reader understands what you’ll be researching and why it’s important. In other words, it covers the same ground as the research proposal in that it justifies your research topic.

What goes into the introduction chapter?

This can vary slightly between universities and degrees, but generally, the introduction chapter will include the following:

• A brief background to the study, explaining the overall area of research
• A problem statement , explaining what the problem is with the current state of research (in other words, where the knowledge gap exists)
• Your research questions – in other words, the specific questions your study will seek to answer (based on the knowledge gap)
• The significance of your study – in other words, why it’s important and how its findings will be useful in the world

As you can see, this all about explaining the “what” and the “why” of your research (as opposed to the “how”). So, your introduction chapter is basically the salesman of your study, “selling” your research to the first-time reader and (hopefully) getting them interested to read more.

How do I write the introduction chapter, you ask? We cover that in detail in this post .

Step 5: Undertake an in-depth literature review

As I mentioned earlier, you’ll need to do some initial review of the literature in Steps 2 and 3 to find your research gap and craft a convincing research proposal – but that’s just scratching the surface. Once you reach the literature review stage of your dissertation or thesis, you need to dig a lot deeper into the existing research and write up a comprehensive literature review chapter.

What’s the literature review all about?

There are two main stages in the literature review process:

Literature Review Step 1: Reading up

The first stage is for you to deep dive into the existing literature (journal articles, textbook chapters, industry reports, etc) to gain an in-depth understanding of the current state of research regarding your topic. While you don’t need to read every single article, you do need to ensure that you cover all literature that is related to your core research questions, and create a comprehensive catalogue of that literature , which you’ll use in the next step.

Reading and digesting all the relevant literature is a time consuming and intellectually demanding process. Many students underestimate just how much work goes into this step, so make sure that you allocate a good amount of time for this when planning out your research. Thankfully, there are ways to fast track the process – be sure to check out this article covering how to read journal articles quickly .

Literature Review Step 2: Writing up

Once you’ve worked through the literature and digested it all, you’ll need to write up your literature review chapter. Many students make the mistake of thinking that the literature review chapter is simply a summary of what other researchers have said. While this is partly true, a literature review is much more than just a summary. To pull off a good literature review chapter, you’ll need to achieve at least 3 things:

• You need to synthesise the existing research , not just summarise it. In other words, you need to show how different pieces of theory fit together, what’s agreed on by researchers, what’s not.
• You need to highlight a research gap that your research is going to fill. In other words, you’ve got to outline the problem so that your research topic can provide a solution.
• You need to use the existing research to inform your methodology and approach to your own research design. For example, you might use questions or Likert scales from previous studies in your your own survey design .

As you can see, a good literature review is more than just a summary of the published research. It’s the foundation on which your own research is built, so it deserves a lot of love and attention. Take the time to craft a comprehensive literature review with a suitable structure .

But, how do I actually write the literature review chapter, you ask? We cover that in detail in this video post .

Step 6: Carry out your own research

Once you’ve completed your literature review and have a sound understanding of the existing research, its time to develop your own research (finally!). You’ll design this research specifically so that you can find the answers to your unique research question.

There are two steps here – designing your research strategy and executing on it:

1 – Design your research strategy

The first step is to design your research strategy and craft a methodology chapter . I won’t get into the technicalities of the methodology chapter here, but in simple terms, this chapter is about explaining the “how” of your research. If you recall, the introduction and literature review chapters discussed the “what” and the “why”, so it makes sense that the next point to cover is the “how” –that’s what the methodology chapter is all about.

In this section, you’ll need to make firm decisions about your research design. This includes things like:

• Your research philosophy (e.g. positivism or interpretivism )
• Your overall methodology (e.g. qualitative , quantitative or mixed methods)
• Your data collection strategy (e.g. interviews , focus groups, surveys)
• Your data analysis strategy (e.g. content analysis , correlation analysis, regression)

If these words have got your head spinning, don’t worry! We’ll explain these in plain language in other posts. It’s not essential that you understand the intricacies of research design (yet!). The key takeaway here is that you’ll need to make decisions about how you’ll design your own research, and you’ll need to describe (and justify) your decisions in your methodology chapter.

2 – Execute: Collect and analyse your data

Once you’ve worked out your research design, you’ll put it into action and start collecting your data. This might mean undertaking interviews, hosting an online survey or any other data collection method. Data collection can take quite a bit of time (especially if you host in-person interviews), so be sure to factor sufficient time into your project plan for this. Oftentimes, things don’t go 100% to plan (for example, you don’t get as many survey responses as you hoped for), so bake a little extra time into your budget here.

Once you’ve collected your data, you’ll need to do some data preparation before you can sink your teeth into the analysis. For example:

• If you carry out interviews or focus groups, you’ll need to transcribe your audio data to text (i.e. a Word document).
• If you collect quantitative survey data, you’ll need to clean up your data and get it into the right format for whichever analysis software you use (for example, SPSS, R or STATA).

Once you’ve completed your data prep, you’ll undertake your analysis, using the techniques that you described in your methodology. Depending on what you find in your analysis, you might also do some additional forms of analysis that you hadn’t planned for. For example, you might see something in the data that raises new questions or that requires clarification with further analysis.

The type(s) of analysis that you’ll use depend entirely on the nature of your research and your research questions. For example:

• If your research if exploratory in nature, you’ll often use qualitative analysis techniques .
• If your research is confirmatory in nature, you’ll often use quantitative analysis techniques
• If your research involves a mix of both, you might use a mixed methods approach

Again, if these words have got your head spinning, don’t worry! We’ll explain these concepts and techniques in other posts. The key takeaway is simply that there’s no “one size fits all” for research design and methodology – it all depends on your topic, your research questions and your data. So, don’t be surprised if your study colleagues take a completely different approach to yours.

Step 7: Present your findings

Once you’ve completed your analysis, it’s time to present your findings (finally!). In a dissertation or thesis, you’ll typically present your findings in two chapters – the results chapter and the discussion chapter .

What’s the difference between the results chapter and the discussion chapter?

While these two chapters are similar, the results chapter generally just presents the processed data neatly and clearly without interpretation, while the discussion chapter explains the story the data are telling  – in other words, it provides your interpretation of the results.

For example, if you were researching the factors that influence consumer trust, you might have used a quantitative approach to identify the relationship between potential factors (e.g. perceived integrity and competence of the organisation) and consumer trust. In this case:

• Your results chapter would just present the results of the statistical tests. For example, correlation results or differences between groups. In other words, the processed numbers.
• Your discussion chapter would explain what the numbers mean in relation to your research question(s). For example, Factor 1 has a weak relationship with consumer trust, while Factor 2 has a strong relationship.

Depending on the university and degree, these two chapters (results and discussion) are sometimes merged into one , so be sure to check with your institution what their preference is. Regardless of the chapter structure, this section is about presenting the findings of your research in a clear, easy to understand fashion.

Importantly, your discussion here needs to link back to your research questions (which you outlined in the introduction or literature review chapter). In other words, it needs to answer the key questions you asked (or at least attempt to answer them).

For example, if we look at the sample research topic:

In this case, the discussion section would clearly outline which factors seem to have a noteworthy influence on organisational trust. By doing so, they are answering the overarching question and fulfilling the purpose of the research .

For more information about the results chapter , check out this post for qualitative studies and this post for quantitative studies .

Step 8: The Final Step Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications

Last but not least, you’ll need to wrap up your research with the conclusion chapter . In this chapter, you’ll bring your research full circle by highlighting the key findings of your study and explaining what the implications of these findings are.

What exactly are key findings? The key findings are those findings which directly relate to your original research questions and overall research objectives (which you discussed in your introduction chapter). The implications, on the other hand, explain what your findings mean for industry, or for research in your area.

Sticking with the consumer trust topic example, the conclusion might look something like this:

Key findings

This study set out to identify which factors influence consumer-based trust in British low-cost online equity brokerage firms. The results suggest that the following factors have a large impact on consumer trust:

While the following factors have a very limited impact on consumer trust:

Notably, within the 25-30 age groups, Factors E had a noticeably larger impact, which may be explained by…

Implications

The findings having noteworthy implications for British low-cost online equity brokers. Specifically:

The large impact of Factors X and Y implies that brokers need to consider….

The limited impact of Factor E implies that brokers need to…

As you can see, the conclusion chapter is basically explaining the “what” (what your study found) and the “so what?” (what the findings mean for the industry or research). This brings the study full circle and closes off the document.

Let’s recap – how to write a dissertation or thesis

You’re still with me? Impressive! I know that this post was a long one, but hopefully you’ve learnt a thing or two about how to write a dissertation or thesis, and are now better equipped to start your own research.

To recap, the 8 steps to writing a quality dissertation (or thesis) are as follows:

• Understand what a dissertation (or thesis) is – a research project that follows the research process.
• Find a unique (original) and important research topic
• Craft a convincing dissertation or thesis research proposal
• Write a clear, compelling introduction chapter
• Undertake a thorough review of the existing research and write up a literature review
• Undertake your own research
• Present and interpret your findings

Once you’ve wrapped up the core chapters, all that’s typically left is the abstract , reference list and appendices. As always, be sure to check with your university if they have any additional requirements in terms of structure or content.  

Psst... there’s more!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

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20 Comments

thankfull >>>this is very useful

Thank you, it was really helpful

unquestionably, this amazing simplified way of teaching. Really , I couldn’t find in the literature words that fully explicit my great thanks to you. However, I could only say thanks a-lot.

Great to hear that – thanks for the feedback. Good luck writing your dissertation/thesis.

This is the most comprehensive explanation of how to write a dissertation. Many thanks for sharing it free of charge.

Very rich presentation. Thank you

Thanks Derek Jansen|GRADCOACH, I find it very useful guide to arrange my activities and proceed to research!

Thank you so much for such a marvelous teaching .I am so convinced that am going to write a comprehensive and a distinct masters dissertation

It is an amazing comprehensive explanation

This was straightforward. Thank you!

I can say that your explanations are simple and enlightening – understanding what you have done here is easy for me. Could you write more about the different types of research methods specific to the three methodologies: quan, qual and MM. I look forward to interacting with this website more in the future.

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions 🙂

Hello, your write ups is quite educative. However, l have challenges in going about my research questions which is below; *Building the enablers of organisational growth through effective governance and purposeful leadership.*

Very educating.

Just listening to the name of the dissertation makes the student nervous. As writing a top-quality dissertation is a difficult task as it is a lengthy topic, requires a lot of research and understanding and is usually around 10,000 to 15000 words. Sometimes due to studies, unbalanced workload or lack of research and writing skill students look for dissertation submission from professional writers.

Thank you 💕😊 very much. I was confused but your comprehensive explanation has cleared my doubts of ever presenting a good thesis. Thank you.

thank you so much, that was so useful

Hi. Where is the excel spread sheet ark?

could you please help me look at your thesis paper to enable me to do the portion that has to do with the specification

my topic is “the impact of domestic revenue mobilization.

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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements

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Tips for Writing Your Thesis Statement

1. Determine what kind of paper you are writing:

• An analytical paper breaks down an issue or an idea into its component parts, evaluates the issue or idea, and presents this breakdown and evaluation to the audience.
• An expository (explanatory) paper explains something to the audience.
• An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies this claim with specific evidence. The claim could be an opinion, a policy proposal, an evaluation, a cause-and-effect statement, or an interpretation. The goal of the argumentative paper is to convince the audience that the claim is true based on the evidence provided.

If you are writing a text that does not fall under these three categories (e.g., a narrative), a thesis statement somewhere in the first paragraph could still be helpful to your reader.

2. Your thesis statement should be specific—it should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence.

3. The thesis statement usually appears at the end of the first paragraph of a paper.

4. Your topic may change as you write, so you may need to revise your thesis statement to reflect exactly what you have discussed in the paper.

Thesis Statement Examples

Example of an analytical thesis statement:

The paper that follows should:

• Explain the analysis of the college admission process
• Explain the challenge facing admissions counselors

Example of an expository (explanatory) thesis statement:

• Explain how students spend their time studying, attending class, and socializing with peers

Example of an argumentative thesis statement:

• Present an argument and give evidence to support the claim that students should pursue community projects before entering college

While Sandel argues that pursuing perfection through genetic engineering would decrease our sense of humility, he claims that the sense of solidarity we would lose is also important.

This thesis summarizes several points in Sandel’s argument, but it does not make a claim about how we should understand his argument. A reader who read Sandel’s argument would not also need to read an essay based on this descriptive thesis.  

Broad thesis (arguable, but difficult to support with evidence) 

Michael Sandel’s arguments about genetic engineering do not take into consideration all the relevant issues.

This is an arguable claim because it would be possible to argue against it by saying that Michael Sandel’s arguments do take all of the relevant issues into consideration. But the claim is too broad. Because the thesis does not specify which “issues” it is focused on—or why it matters if they are considered—readers won’t know what the rest of the essay will argue, and the writer won’t know what to focus on. If there is a particular issue that Sandel does not address, then a more specific version of the thesis would include that issue—hand an explanation of why it is important.  

Arguable thesis with analytical claim 

While Sandel argues persuasively that our instinct to “remake” (54) ourselves into something ever more perfect is a problem, his belief that we can always draw a line between what is medically necessary and what makes us simply “better than well” (51) is less convincing.

This is an arguable analytical claim. To argue for this claim, the essay writer will need to show how evidence from the article itself points to this interpretation. It’s also a reasonable scope for a thesis because it can be supported with evidence available in the text and is neither too broad nor too narrow.  

Arguable thesis with normative claim 

Given Sandel’s argument against genetic enhancement, we should not allow parents to decide on using Human Growth Hormone for their children.

This thesis tells us what we should do about a particular issue discussed in Sandel’s article, but it does not tell us how we should understand Sandel’s argument.  

Questions to ask about your thesis 

• Is the thesis truly arguable? Does it speak to a genuine dilemma in the source, or would most readers automatically agree with it?  
• Is the thesis too obvious? Again, would most or all readers agree with it without needing to see your argument?  
• Is the thesis complex enough to require a whole essay's worth of argument?  
• Is the thesis supportable with evidence from the text rather than with generalizations or outside research?  
• Would anyone want to read a paper in which this thesis was developed? That is, can you explain what this paper is adding to our understanding of a problem, question, or topic?
• picture_as_pdf Thesis

8 Tips for writing a dissertation or thesis

Writing a dissertation or thesis is one of the most challenging things that a young academic faces. Don't worry: these five tips will help you get started.

Writing a thesis or dissertation is something that many Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD candidates dread. Even after years of schooling, having to research, write, and defend such an enormous, complex piece of writing literally becomes the academic Mount Olympus of your entire academic career.

The good news it that it's more than just doable. In fact, every year, millions of people submit their dissertation or thesis, which means there's a ton of valuable experience and insights out there on the best way to go about doing it.

(True story: Brainscape's spaced repetition white paper evolved from our founder's master thesis at Columbia University !)

However, since you've already got enough on your plate, we took the liberty of assembling this wisdom for you, which we now present to you as the 8 most important tips on writing a dissertation or thesis .

Let’s get to it!

How to write a great dissertation or thesis

1. Pursue a topic that intrigues you

The first step of writing any dissertation is to identify the topic . This is a crucial step because the thing you decide on will have you up to your neck in peer-reviewed literature, data analysis, and written documents for the next several years of your life. Because of this, it’s essential that you chase your curiosity and choose a topic that deeply interests you!

Oftentimes, students simply choose a topic from a list provided to them by their professor or supervisor, who have their own research agendas. But if you aren’t inspired by the options provided, then there's no reason why you can't carve your own path forwards.

Remember, this is about to consume your entire world for the next few years so make sure it sets your brain on fire! (In a good way.)

2. Brainstorm the question(s) you want to answer and how you plan to set about answering them

Once you have your topic —which is really the foundation of the whole exercise of writing a dissertation or thesis—you should set about brainstorming the question or questions you want to answer, and how you plan to answer them.

For example, my Master's dissertation topic at university was The interannual, seasonal, and diurnal variability of thunderstorms in the Southwestern Cape coast of Southern Africa . Bit of a mouthful, I know.

That was my topic. The questions I identified, however, were:

• How has thunderstorm activity varied over the past 30 years and can its frequency be linked with any global weather patterns (like El Niño)?
• During the course of a year, do thunderstorms happen more frequently in one season versus another and, if so, what season is that and why?
• Are thunderstorms more likely to develop at certain times of the day and, if so, when is that and why?

Writing down these questions at the very outset of the writing of my dissertation established its entire structural framework .

What followed then was the world's most epic “brain dump” on everything I knew about thunderstorm dynamics and variability; everything I wanted to know (and, therefore, needed to research); and, importantly, the ideas and resources I had to begin seeking answers to those questions.

You might consider using visual aids like mind maps or spreadsheets or even flashcards to help you arrange your ideas and resources logically.

In addition to your own brain dump, however, you should absolutely pilfer the minds of the knowledgeable people around you . Prepare some questions and ask your professor, supervisor, and fellow students about your topic and any ideas they may have for how you could proceed.

Ask for honest feedback, and be prepared to revise your ideas based on this. Your adviser should be a constant help throughout this process.

3. Write your proposal

The next step in writing a dissertation or thesis is the proposal: a document that you will submit to your adviser detailing your plan. The proposal has two main goals. First, it serves as a framework to help you plan for and think critically about your project. Second, it allows your advisers to critically evaluate and provide feedback on your ideas before you fully dive into the work.

Your proposal should have a strong line of reasoning that links your work to the existing peer-reviewed literature, while expanding upon an existing idea or even introducing a new one entirely .

At this point, it’s important to be realistic about scope . Most people aren’t going to discover cutting-edge new material in their theses; instead, focus on small advancements.

At the same time as you're considering your proposal, you'll need to...

4. Do a thorough literature review (i.e. read everything you can get your hands on)

This comes hand-in-hand with the initial brainstorming you're doing on your topic. What you're trying to establish is what's been written about the subject before and it essentially involves you downloading every peer-reviewed article, paper, or published book you can get your hands on and reading through it.

[You might want to read this guide first— How to read faster and better —to save yourself a lot of time!]

Search as many research databases as you can to find all the ideas and facts that might bear on your argument. And while you're doing this, keep a detailed record of the salient points you'll likely refer to in your own dissertation or thesis.

If literally hundreds of papers have been published before on your topic—too many to read—then focus only on the most recently published ones; or the ones that hold the greatest authority (talk to your supervisor).

There's a delicate balance to be struck between quantity and quality but if you have the time—or can make the time— the more detailed your literature review, the better the foundation you'll be able to build your own research on .

5. Collect and organize your notes and sources

One of the most frustrating aspects of writing a dissertation or thesis is rigor with which you need to cite your sources. You don't really think about this in the beginning, when you're doing your literature review, but eventually, when it comes time to sit down and write, you don't want to constantly have to remember: "Where did I read this again?" or "Which article was supportive of this argument?"

That's why we recommend keeping a detailed spreadsheet or database of the most salient facts and findings with their appropriate bibliographical format sources. If you hate the DIY approach, try a citation software, like Mendeley or Zotero . These can be a more effective way to organize your notes and references, saving you a ton of time later on.

6. Start writing

Once you have a thorough grasp on the questions you seek to answer, a detailed foundational understanding of your topic, a solid outline for your work, and a clear direction on the methods you plan to follow, it’s time to start writing!

(In reality, you won't be writing in isolation. Rather, you'll be doing several of the above-mentioned steps in tandem with each other, in addition to writing.)

For a typical dissertation or thesis, the writing begins with the introduction and overview of your subject, which then progresses to your literature review, and then methodology. Try to write these sections as you go along, rather than doing all the research and analytical work, only to have to return to the beginning and write everything from scratch.

Just keep in mind that a dissertation carves a winding path and that you may have to come back to your methods and outline and adjust it accordingly. In other words, don't grow too attached to what you've written until you are nearing the end and are certain that your research won't throw you any more curveballs.

Pro tip: Write in a clear, concise, academic style, even from your first draft. Academic writing, in general, is valued for clarity over flowery language (unless you’re in literature, eh?).

7. Allow your research to dictate your conclusions

Some topics allow you the luxury of starting out with a point to prove and a conclusion to make. You can take a famous literary work, make an argument, and set out to substantiate that argument. You're neither right or wrong; you're simply revealing—in a compelling way—an interesting new view point.

Other topics,  like science, however, do NOT allow this luxury.

In science, you begin with a hypothesis. And while the point of your dissertation is to test whether that hypothesis is correct, you should never do so with an agenda to prove it right . Sure, you hope your hypothesis is right... but you must be unattached to the outcome so that you don't become blind to what the data is actually telling you .

The risk of becoming attached to proving a hypothesis right is that you stake your thesis (or even career) on proving something, only to have the data tell you something contrary or confusing, and this can be incredibly demotivating . And in some unfortunate cases, it can drive people to manipulate the data.

Remember that just because you may not get the answer you were hoping for doesn't mean you didn't achieve anything . In science, no answer is still an answer. What you've done is established the fact that where you thought there was a relationship before, there isn't in fact one.

That's still valuable information!

The moral of the story is to allow your research and data analysis to dictate your conclusions.

8. Write a little bit every day

Our final piece of advice on how to write a dissertation or thesis is to write a little bit every day. This research project is a marathon that takes many years of devoted work; you shouldn't rush the writing of it.

From the very start, set aside a small portion of your academic day (whether it's for just 20 minutes or an hour) to just write. If you do this, by the time you're ready to write up your actual findings, you'll have done more than half of your thesis: the introduction, literature review, methodology, and some of your analysis.

[Need some help committing to your writing without getting distracted? Read How to focus better and Tricks for staying motivated .]

This article may have given you some helpful advice on how to go about writing your dissertation or thesis but it won’t write it for you. So now it’s up to you: take a deep breath and get started. You've got this!

Flashcards for serious learners .

Developing a Thesis Statement

Many papers you write require developing a thesis statement. In this section you’ll learn what a thesis statement is and how to write one.

Keep in mind that not all papers require thesis statements . If in doubt, please consult your instructor for assistance.

What is a thesis statement?

A thesis statement . . .

• Makes an argumentative assertion about a topic; it states the conclusions that you have reached about your topic.
• Makes a promise to the reader about the scope, purpose, and direction of your paper.
• Is focused and specific enough to be “proven” within the boundaries of your paper.
• Is generally located near the end of the introduction ; sometimes, in a long paper, the thesis will be expressed in several sentences or in an entire paragraph.
• Identifies the relationships between the pieces of evidence that you are using to support your argument.

Not all papers require thesis statements! Ask your instructor if you’re in doubt whether you need one.

Identify a topic

Your topic is the subject about which you will write. Your assignment may suggest several ways of looking at a topic; or it may name a fairly general concept that you will explore or analyze in your paper.

Consider what your assignment asks you to do

Inform yourself about your topic, focus on one aspect of your topic, ask yourself whether your topic is worthy of your efforts, generate a topic from an assignment.

Below are some possible topics based on sample assignments.

Sample assignment 1

Analyze Spain’s neutrality in World War II.

Identified topic

Franco’s role in the diplomatic relationships between the Allies and the Axis

This topic avoids generalities such as “Spain” and “World War II,” addressing instead on Franco’s role (a specific aspect of “Spain”) and the diplomatic relations between the Allies and Axis (a specific aspect of World War II).

Sample assignment 2

Analyze one of Homer’s epic similes in the Iliad.

The relationship between the portrayal of warfare and the epic simile about Simoisius at 4.547-64.

This topic focuses on a single simile and relates it to a single aspect of the Iliad ( warfare being a major theme in that work).

Developing a Thesis Statement–Additional information

Your assignment may suggest several ways of looking at a topic, or it may name a fairly general concept that you will explore or analyze in your paper. You’ll want to read your assignment carefully, looking for key terms that you can use to focus your topic.

Sample assignment: Analyze Spain’s neutrality in World War II Key terms: analyze, Spain’s neutrality, World War II

After you’ve identified the key words in your topic, the next step is to read about them in several sources, or generate as much information as possible through an analysis of your topic. Obviously, the more material or knowledge you have, the more possibilities will be available for a strong argument. For the sample assignment above, you’ll want to look at books and articles on World War II in general, and Spain’s neutrality in particular.

As you consider your options, you must decide to focus on one aspect of your topic. This means that you cannot include everything you’ve learned about your topic, nor should you go off in several directions. If you end up covering too many different aspects of a topic, your paper will sprawl and be unconvincing in its argument, and it most likely will not fulfull the assignment requirements.

For the sample assignment above, both Spain’s neutrality and World War II are topics far too broad to explore in a paper. You may instead decide to focus on Franco’s role in the diplomatic relationships between the Allies and the Axis , which narrows down what aspects of Spain’s neutrality and World War II you want to discuss, as well as establishes a specific link between those two aspects.

Before you go too far, however, ask yourself whether your topic is worthy of your efforts. Try to avoid topics that already have too much written about them (i.e., “eating disorders and body image among adolescent women”) or that simply are not important (i.e. “why I like ice cream”). These topics may lead to a thesis that is either dry fact or a weird claim that cannot be supported. A good thesis falls somewhere between the two extremes. To arrive at this point, ask yourself what is new, interesting, contestable, or controversial about your topic.

As you work on your thesis, remember to keep the rest of your paper in mind at all times . Sometimes your thesis needs to evolve as you develop new insights, find new evidence, or take a different approach to your topic.

Derive a main point from topic

Once you have a topic, you will have to decide what the main point of your paper will be. This point, the “controlling idea,” becomes the core of your argument (thesis statement) and it is the unifying idea to which you will relate all your sub-theses. You can then turn this “controlling idea” into a purpose statement about what you intend to do in your paper.

Look for patterns in your evidence

Compose a purpose statement.

Consult the examples below for suggestions on how to look for patterns in your evidence and construct a purpose statement.

• Franco first tried to negotiate with the Axis
• Franco turned to the Allies when he couldn’t get some concessions that he wanted from the Axis

Possible conclusion:

Spain’s neutrality in WWII occurred for an entirely personal reason: Franco’s desire to preserve his own (and Spain’s) power.

Purpose statement

This paper will analyze Franco’s diplomacy during World War II to see how it contributed to Spain’s neutrality.

• The simile compares Simoisius to a tree, which is a peaceful, natural image.
• The tree in the simile is chopped down to make wheels for a chariot, which is an object used in warfare.

At first, the simile seems to take the reader away from the world of warfare, but we end up back in that world by the end.

This paper will analyze the way the simile about Simoisius at 4.547-64 moves in and out of the world of warfare.

Derive purpose statement from topic

To find out what your “controlling idea” is, you have to examine and evaluate your evidence . As you consider your evidence, you may notice patterns emerging, data repeated in more than one source, or facts that favor one view more than another. These patterns or data may then lead you to some conclusions about your topic and suggest that you can successfully argue for one idea better than another.

For instance, you might find out that Franco first tried to negotiate with the Axis, but when he couldn’t get some concessions that he wanted from them, he turned to the Allies. As you read more about Franco’s decisions, you may conclude that Spain’s neutrality in WWII occurred for an entirely personal reason: his desire to preserve his own (and Spain’s) power. Based on this conclusion, you can then write a trial thesis statement to help you decide what material belongs in your paper.

Sometimes you won’t be able to find a focus or identify your “spin” or specific argument immediately. Like some writers, you might begin with a purpose statement just to get yourself going. A purpose statement is one or more sentences that announce your topic and indicate the structure of the paper but do not state the conclusions you have drawn . Thus, you might begin with something like this:

• This paper will look at modern language to see if it reflects male dominance or female oppression.
• I plan to analyze anger and derision in offensive language to see if they represent a challenge of society’s authority.

At some point, you can turn a purpose statement into a thesis statement. As you think and write about your topic, you can restrict, clarify, and refine your argument, crafting your thesis statement to reflect your thinking.

As you work on your thesis, remember to keep the rest of your paper in mind at all times. Sometimes your thesis needs to evolve as you develop new insights, find new evidence, or take a different approach to your topic.

Compose a draft thesis statement

If you are writing a paper that will have an argumentative thesis and are having trouble getting started, the techniques in the table below may help you develop a temporary or “working” thesis statement.

Begin with a purpose statement that you will later turn into a thesis statement.

Assignment: Discuss the history of the Reform Party and explain its influence on the 1990 presidential and Congressional election.

Purpose Statement: This paper briefly sketches the history of the grassroots, conservative, Perot-led Reform Party and analyzes how it influenced the economic and social ideologies of the two mainstream parties.

Question-to-Assertion

If your assignment asks a specific question(s), turn the question(s) into an assertion and give reasons why it is true or reasons for your opinion.

Assignment : What do Aylmer and Rappaccini have to be proud of? Why aren’t they satisfied with these things? How does pride, as demonstrated in “The Birthmark” and “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” lead to unexpected problems?

Beginning thesis statement: Alymer and Rappaccinni are proud of their great knowledge; however, they are also very greedy and are driven to use their knowledge to alter some aspect of nature as a test of their ability. Evil results when they try to “play God.”

Write a sentence that summarizes the main idea of the essay you plan to write.

Main idea: The reason some toys succeed in the market is that they appeal to the consumers’ sense of the ridiculous and their basic desire to laugh at themselves.

Make a list of the ideas that you want to include; consider the ideas and try to group them.

• nature = peaceful
• war matériel = violent (competes with 1?)
• need for time and space to mourn the dead
• war is inescapable (competes with 3?)

Use a formula to arrive at a working thesis statement (you will revise this later).

• although most readers of _______ have argued that _______, closer examination shows that _______.
• _______ uses _______ and _____ to prove that ________.
• phenomenon x is a result of the combination of __________, __________, and _________.

What to keep in mind as you draft an initial thesis statement

Beginning statements obtained through the methods illustrated above can serve as a framework for planning or drafting your paper, but remember they’re not yet the specific, argumentative thesis you want for the final version of your paper. In fact, in its first stages, a thesis statement usually is ill-formed or rough and serves only as a planning tool.

As you write, you may discover evidence that does not fit your temporary or “working” thesis. Or you may reach deeper insights about your topic as you do more research, and you will find that your thesis statement has to be more complicated to match the evidence that you want to use.

You must be willing to reject or omit some evidence in order to keep your paper cohesive and your reader focused. Or you may have to revise your thesis to match the evidence and insights that you want to discuss. Read your draft carefully, noting the conclusions you have drawn and the major ideas which support or prove those conclusions. These will be the elements of your final thesis statement.

Sometimes you will not be able to identify these elements in your early drafts, but as you consider how your argument is developing and how your evidence supports your main idea, ask yourself, “ What is the main point that I want to prove/discuss? ” and “ How will I convince the reader that this is true? ” When you can answer these questions, then you can begin to refine the thesis statement.

Refine and polish the thesis statement

To get to your final thesis, you’ll need to refine your draft thesis so that it’s specific and arguable.

• Ask if your draft thesis addresses the assignment
• Question each part of your draft thesis
• Clarify vague phrases and assertions
• Investigate alternatives to your draft thesis

Consult the example below for suggestions on how to refine your draft thesis statement.

Sample Assignment

Choose an activity and define it as a symbol of American culture. Your essay should cause the reader to think critically about the society which produces and enjoys that activity.

• Ask The phenomenon of drive-in facilities is an interesting symbol of american culture, and these facilities demonstrate significant characteristics of our society.This statement does not fulfill the assignment because it does not require the reader to think critically about society.

Drive-ins are an interesting symbol of American culture because they represent Americans’ significant creativity and business ingenuity.

Among the types of drive-in facilities familiar during the twentieth century, drive-in movie theaters best represent American creativity, not merely because they were the forerunner of later drive-ins and drive-throughs, but because of their impact on our culture: they changed our relationship to the automobile, changed the way people experienced movies, and changed movie-going into a family activity.

While drive-in facilities such as those at fast-food establishments, banks, pharmacies, and dry cleaners symbolize America’s economic ingenuity, they also have affected our personal standards.

While drive-in facilities such as those at fast- food restaurants, banks, pharmacies, and dry cleaners symbolize (1) Americans’ business ingenuity, they also have contributed (2) to an increasing homogenization of our culture, (3) a willingness to depersonalize relationships with others, and (4) a tendency to sacrifice quality for convenience.

This statement is now specific and fulfills all parts of the assignment. This version, like any good thesis, is not self-evident; its points, 1-4, will have to be proven with evidence in the body of the paper. The numbers in this statement indicate the order in which the points will be presented. Depending on the length of the paper, there could be one paragraph for each numbered item or there could be blocks of paragraph for even pages for each one.

Complete the final thesis statement

The bottom line.

As you move through the process of crafting a thesis, you’ll need to remember four things:

• Context matters! Think about your course materials and lectures. Try to relate your thesis to the ideas your instructor is discussing.
• As you go through the process described in this section, always keep your assignment in mind . You will be more successful when your thesis (and paper) responds to the assignment than if it argues a semi-related idea.
• Your thesis statement should be precise, focused, and contestable ; it should predict the sub-theses or blocks of information that you will use to prove your argument.
• Make sure that you keep the rest of your paper in mind at all times. Change your thesis as your paper evolves, because you do not want your thesis to promise more than your paper actually delivers.

In the beginning, the thesis statement was a tool to help you sharpen your focus, limit material and establish the paper’s purpose. When your paper is finished, however, the thesis statement becomes a tool for your reader. It tells the reader what you have learned about your topic and what evidence led you to your conclusion. It keeps the reader on track–well able to understand and appreciate your argument.

Writing Process and Structure

This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.

Getting Started with Your Paper

Interpreting Writing Assignments from Your Courses

Generating Ideas for

Creating an Argument

Thesis vs. Purpose Statements

Architecture of Arguments

Working with Sources

Quoting and Paraphrasing Sources

Using Literary Quotations

Citing Sources in Your Paper

Drafting Your Paper

Generating Ideas for Your Paper

Introductions

Paragraphing

Developing Strategic Transitions

Conclusions

Revising Your Paper

Peer Reviews

Reverse Outlines

Revising an Argumentative Paper

Revision Strategies for Longer Projects

Finishing Your Paper

Twelve Common Errors: An Editing Checklist

How to Proofread your Paper

Writing Collaboratively

Collaborative and Group Writing

The Art of WordPress Theme Design

S ince 2006, I’ve been on a mission to improve and perfect the WordPress theming process. This journey continues today with my two flagship projects— Thesis , which is a WordPress Theme engine, and Focus , which is a Thesis Skin.

What’s a Thesis Skin, you ask? Well…

With traditional WordPress Themes, the designer must consider far too many technical things like standardized HTML markup, SEO concerns, and WordPress and Plugin compatibilities.

Thesis Skins eliminate the need for website owners, designers, and developers to consider hardcore technical stuff.

Even better, they open the door to amazing new possibilities thanks to a deep WordPress integration and a powerful API that makes it easy to do anything with your website.

Below you’ll find the original introductory articles to my WordPress Themes. For current information on Thesis and Focus , please check out my business website, DIYthemes .

• 📖 Cutline and PressRow Removed from WordPress.com
• 📖 Thesis Theme for WordPress
• 📖 The Neoclassical 3-Column Theme for WordPress
• 📖 Copyblogger Theme for WordPress
• 📖 Cutline Theme for WordPress
• 📖 PressRow Theme for WordPress

© Chris Pearson 2005-2024. All rights reserved.

• Ingredients

blends tailored to your unique needs.

RECLAIM YOUR ATTENTION

Starter Kits Purchased

Ingredients Tested

Find a Blend that Works

10,000+ Verified 5-star Reviews

Choose your thesis blend

Get started for just $79/month

Maintain focus and Support attention

Fight fatigue and Build mental stamina

Maintain willpower and Support productivity

Support memory and Promote deep thinking

Verbal fluency and Maintain confidence

Feelings of calm and Positive outlook

• Promote Energy
• Fight Fatigue
• Build Mental Stamina

TeaCrine® has been shown to increase energy, motivation, and concentration.

• Maintain Focus
• Support Attention
• Enter Flow State

Alpha-GPC has been shown to support healthy cognitive function and physical performance.

• Maintain Willpower
• Manage Procrastination
• Support Productivity

CDT (Dynamine® ) has been shown to help with cognitive control and reaction time during mentally demanding tasks.

• Support Memory
• Promote Deep Thinking
• Maintain Processing Speed

Synapsa® has been shown to significantly improve working memory.

• Spark Inspiration
• Support Verbal Fluency
• Manage Stress

KSM-66® Ashwagandha has been shown to significantly reduce stress and anxiety.

• Encourage calm state
• Support mental flexibility
• Promote positive outloook

Zembrin® has been shown to improve in mood and disposition.

• GMP Certified
• Gluten Free

Nootropics aren’t one size fits all

We formulate potent nutrient compounds to enhance mental performance and make personalized recommendations based on your goals and unique brain chemistry

Your Personalized Thesis Journey

1. take the quiz.

Tell us about yourself and your goals. We’ll use your answers to determine your baseline and build your recommendations.

2. Get Your Starter Kit

You’ll sample 4 blends over the course of the month to understand what you can accomplish with each formulation.

3. Optimize with a Coach

Check in with your wellness coach and our nootropics experts to customise your blends based on your experience so far.

A powerful, natural way to boost your cognition

Thesis can help you.

• Raise your energy level
• Feel more motivated
• Clear brain fog
• Increase focus

We’ve Helped Over 500,000 People Find Their Formula

“Motivation gets me going during my six days in a row at work, and Clarity keeps my mind sharp and alert so I’m performing at my best . Creativity does just as it says -- I love this one for when I’m doing the Reading Comprehension and/or Arguments section of LSAT prep; I truly feel like it gives me an edge.”

Britney’S BLENDS

"I did feel different since day one. I got more motivated and had an overall better mood. [Thesis] has been a game changer for me."

Ondrej's BLENDS

“I always feel energized and focus without the afternoon crash that I typically experience with coffee. I can get hours of work done and stay motivated all day.”

Renee’S BLENDS

"For someone who has struggled with attention and staying awake, [Thesis has] been life saving."

Trish's BLENDS

Trusted by experts

Dr. gabrielle lyon.

Functional Medicine & Nutritional Sciences

“I work with CEOs, celebrities, and other top performers in my practice. Thesis is what I recommend and take personally for focus and cognition. I even used it to help me nail my first TedX talk.”

Gabrielle’s blends

Professional Basketball Player & Mental Health Advocate

“With a busy life on and off the court, Thesis gives me energy and focus to get through the longest days and keep me sharp.”

Kevin's blends

Ultra-endurance Athlete & Nutrition Advocate

"Thesis has provided a substantial benefit to my ability to focus. Creativity works best for me — I take it 30 mins before a podcast or writing and it helps get me into the zone."

RICH’s blends

Pure and effective ingredients

Potent active ingredients.

Quality counts when supplementing, and only the active ingredients in a blend make an impact.

Clinically Studied Dosage

We only use nutrients that have been proven to safely deliver desired effects in clinical trials.

All ingredients in each batch are tested with a third party lab to ensure optimal potency and purity.

“ The Thesis process was developed by systematically testing different combinations of high quality ingredients. We made the process of finding the right nootropics quicker & safer.”

DAN FREED CEO & Founder, Thesis

Our research and product development teams review clinical studies and information on safety, side effects, and any potential interactions for each ingredient being considered for a Thesis blend.

Each ingredient goes through two rounds of internal testing, in which members of our research and product development team share feedback on individual ingredients.

The research and product development team reviews existing clinical literature about synergistic benefits between ingredients and integrates it as we continue to formulate, developing 2-4 blends to move forward to Phase 3 testing.

We test each prospective blend internally, as members of our research and product development team try each of the blends before we move forward to Beta testing.

Next, we test multiple iterations of each blend with a group of 100 Thesis beta group customers and collect quantitative and qualitative feedback to help us refine the final blend.

We finalize our winning blend (based on the Alpha and Beta test feedback) by completing a final round of safety testing by our third party lab partners before we release it. Ongoing safety testing occurs with each batch of production.

After the blend undergoes third party lab testing for safety, we launch a limited release to 5,000 customers to help us gather additional feedback and work through our supply chain process

Once a blend passes the limited release phase, we launch full production in a cGMP facility and release it to all customers.

The Thesis Story

As long as I can remember, people thought I was stupid, lazy, or unmotivated. I started to believe it. In school, I would read the same page over and over again, without absorbing anything. At 16, I dropped out of high school and went to work at a sandwich shop.

Fast-forward ten years — I scored in the 99th percentile on the GMAT and earned Master’s degrees from Yale and INSEAD. Nootropics turned everything around for me, and helped me form the positive habits that I built my success on. Once I balanced my brain chemistry, I could perform like never before.

I take Energy to get me going in the morning and Motivation to power through long afternoons.

DAN’s blends

Free guide: 👀 The internet has changed— has your site changed with it?

Build a FAST website YOU can manage 👍

Follow my free 4-step roadmap to run a simple and fast website that:

• Looks great everywhere
• Delights your visitors
• Saves you money

Enter your email below , and I’ll send you my free , 4-step guide to build a fast website your visitors will love:

• No more feeling overwhelmed by the complexity of WordPress
• Manage everything yourself (no need for a designer or developer)
• Delight your visitors with speed and clarity
• Enjoy a simple website that’s easy to maintain
• Feel confident about your website!

Did you know?

• This entire website is built on the Focus WordPress Theme
• The product boxes above were created with Focus Cards
• The navigation, speed, and social media visibility of this site are enhanced by premium add-ons for Focus
• Thesis Docs
• Thesis Blog
• Affiliate Program
• Privacy Policy

Copyright ©2008–2024 DIY themes. All rights reserved.

Made in Austin, Texas, homeh.

on the road

Diy thesis theme sucks problems.

Update February 7, 2019: Jesus Christ, but the man has the nerve to re-sell his theme to people who have already bought it (who have already paid and paid and paid in more ways than one) AGAIN? Oh, wait, it’s an all-new, goody-goody, best evar, search engine dream! Loads faster. Looks better. Links easier. Does more. Grows hair back. Gets better mileage. Works harder. Lasts longer (until the next feature is added and you pay more).

Oh, and by the way: It’s going to be a hun a year. Most likely a “sale price” until the next year, when it will go up with a super-duper price increase because that’s how he works. Pay and pay and pay and still the fucking theme is a loser. Sad.

W.T.F. is with that?

Update June 19, 2018: O.M.G. Social media profile boxes now available. How many years has it been, exactly?

Update May 9, 2018 : Bwaaaaahahahaha. It has occurred to me that one of my commenters may be a shill for the theme that has no name. Nice try though, losers. My own page STILL gets pretty good results, and that pleases me bigly. What really pleases me even more bigly is that the fake domain was re-registered in January of this year. Go fish.

Update April 13, 2016 : DIY Thesis is out with yet another announcement of a skin for the Thesis 2.0 theme. Jesus Christ, but it’s been how many years since Thesis 2.0 had been out and they’re only announcing really purty, priddy fine, high impact theme design? Good lord, people, BUY ANOTHER THEME , please.

If you can’t afford one, there are P L E N T Y of themes for free that will do everything you need, many times over, in a clear and concise way. You won’t have to wrestle with NO REFUNDS, EVAR , or the sad spectacle of having a theme that you need to pay a developer to use. BUY ANOTHER THEME .

Update June 1, 2015 :  In other words, another DIYtheme clusterfuck. Nothing new to see here, folks. Move along now, and BUY ANOTHER THEME .

Effectus Skin webinar didn’t go as smoothly as we had hoped. Hundreds of people were denied access, and on top of that, our recording failed, too.

UPDATE May 28, 2015 : According to the great Chris Pearson of Thesis DIY themes fame, “Google has been using site performance as a rankings signal since February of 2010”.

If that’s the case, why has he now, only five years later , come up with a Thesis DIYthemes skin, to take advantage of Google site performance rankings? What, exactly, has he been doing with DIYthemes for the past five years? Why is he only now recognizing that performance rankings are a huge part of Google search results if, five years ago , Google was using performance rankings?

According to Chris Pearson of DIYthemes, “we’ve created the new [ skin ], which brings you a customizable responsive design”. Really? What took you so long? Oh, right, nothing to see here. Move along, everyone. It always takes him years and years to do shit. (See below if you don’t believe that.)

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER THIS, PEOPLE :

If you’re thinking about purchasing the Thesis DIY theme, think again. Need I say more in reference to the Twitter Twatting Chris Pearson and his DIY Thesis Theme:

“we do not … offer refunds after a purchase has been made.”

In other words, if you’re looking for a refund after handing over your hard-earned cash, you more than likely won’t get one.

UPDATE April 30, 2015 : Here ya go. But before you upgrade, don’t bother. Thesis 1 theme is not responsive. Don’t waste your money on this dog, because search engines will ignore your site for the most part and your ratings will completely tumble.

The latest greatest update to Thesis 1 is out, and the great master, Chris Pearson himself, has this to say in the comments:

Upgrading a Thesis 1 site to Thesis 2 generally requires a professional

WTF is with that?

Don’t buy this time suck, people. It’s a real drag on your output and your bank account before you get anything that’s useable. And like I said, if it’s Thesis 1, your search rankings will tumble because the theme is not responsive.

How to ESCAPE ANY THESIS DIY THEME and its Twitter Twatting owner:

• Install a free WordPress theme of your choosing, or use one already in your Appearance tab. If you’d like to try a FREE, AMAZINGLY CUSTOMIZABLE theme from menus, try Acquoid Themes and its free Suffusion theme. It’s had over a million downloads for a reason.
• In your new theme, install a plugin called All in One SEO . This will optimize your blog for search engine optimization once you escape the Thesis Theme and its completely useless and irrelevant time-sucking learning curve.
• In your new theme, install the All in One SEO Pack Importer plugin.
• Activate the All in One SEO Pack Importer plugin under Settings/AIOSEOP in the sidebar and put it to work. Once done, you can deactivate the SEO Importer plugin.
• Enjoy the benefits of your escape from the Twitter Twat.
• Don’t forget to activate the All in One SEO plugin. Once you do, you’re good to go with all the search engine capabilities of your former Thesis theme stupidity. Furthermore, you shouldn’t lose any search engine visibility.

Once Thesis is gone and you’ve freed yourself from its infinite stupidity, consider taking a look at Aquoid Themes . Their Suffusion theme is free, infinitely customizable from menus, and does all that DIY Thesis and its Twitter Twat author promises –  All for free!

Update November 16, 2013 : Well now. It would seem that the DIY Thesis Theme refund policy has been changed to the following:

According to the refund policy, I can’t get one. <snip> the Thesis Theme refund policy states that “ only if you have worked with our support staff to try and resolve the problem first. “

Very interesting. It would appear that they’ve been getting a lot of requests for refunds and that’s one way to keep new customers paying through the nose.

Stay away from this theme, people. It’s nothing but a headache, in my opinion.

I have now successfully completed the move of five of my six sites over to free WordPress themes with no loss of SEO, data, or comments. Thank goodness for WordPress plugins that allowed me to do that.

[Edited to add that ALL of my themes have now been freed from the captivity of Thesis DIY and Chris Pearson.]

Update August 10, 2013 : I no longer recommend Chris Pearson’s time-sucking DIY Thesis or DIY Thesis 2 theme in any way, shape, or form. Avoid it at all costs. I have returned three four five all six of my sites to the WordPress default themes, with the same functionality, and I’m not looking back.

No matter what bullshit Chris Pearson attempts to sell you on DIY Thesis themes, don’t buy it. It sucks. And further to that, it won’t convert from Thesis 1 to Thesis 2. DON’T BUY INTO THE BULLSHIT. You’ll be sorry if you do.

Update July 1, 2013 : It’s now been nine, count’em, nine months. If this asshole was pregnant, he’d have a baby by now, and a manual by Dr. Spock on how to set everything up. What’s the dealio here with Thesis and DIY? Who the hell knows? Rumor has it that the latest beta release of his theme isn’t compatible with thesis 2.0. You have to DO IT OVER AGAIN! Apparently, it’s another new concept brought to the people that have financed his millionaire lifestyle. Go figure.

Update June 11, 2013 : I’ve lost count of how many months it’s been since the promises were made. Hold your nose, because they’re all worthless and stink like shit. Nothing new here. Move on to BUY ANOTHER THEME! Unless, of course, you’re independently wealthy, don’t serve your customers needs, and continue to fuck the shit out of them by not providing goods for money spent on this completely incomprehensible DIY Thesis theme. Customer service? What’s that?

This dumbass dipshit brags about having sold over 53,000 theme packages. That’s around four million bucks+. No wonder the son of a bitch spends all his time being a Twitter twat rather than serving his paying customers. What a dipshit.

From the Thesis blog, December 7, 2012: Christmas is right around the corner, and here at DIYthemes, we’re busy filling our sleigh with Boxes, Skins, and everything else you need to run a killer website.

Fucking A! It’s now May 13, 2013. Just where are all of those “Boxes, Skins, and everything else you need to run a killer website”. Losers.

Update May 8, 2013 : No promised skins. No official manuals. Seven months later? It sucks to be a Thesis user.

R.I.P. Thesis themes. Long live a wiser, more functional choice backed up by its authors with manuals, skins and a user forum that speaks English anyone can understand. Business schools should take and teach a lesson from this outfit on how not to do customer relations. As of January 9 there are still no Thesis 2 manuals provided by the theme author. There are still no skins as promised on the sales page. Ho-hum. Just another Thesis failing.

BUY ANOTHER THEME!

Update March 1, 2013 : FIVE MONTHS AND STILL NO SKINS OR OFFICIAL MANUA L. The bilious stench of a dead theme is everywhere.

And that’s not just my opinion.

Update February 1, 2013 : Four months and still no skins, nada, rien, nothing. The bad joke is on people who spent good money – such as myself – on a worthless piece of shit.

BUY ANOTHER THEME !

Update January 7, 2013 : I’m thinking that the Great One™ hasn’t yet figured out that independent theme designers aren’t flocking to his Thesis 2 theme to build skins for sale. He must have really pissed off a lot of people in the WP industry.

Update January 1, 2013 : Three months, and still no manual, still no skins. Give the Thesis theme a wide berth, people.

The latest Twitter Twat reveals that the reason the skins weren’t released was because Chris Pearson, Twitter Twit extraordinaire, didn’t want to piggyback onto the Newtown shootings. Really? WTF is with that? And then came Christmas, and New Year’s, and next it will be Valentine’s Day. Oh, wait. Now it’s because he’s consulting with lawyers. Puh-leeze. Give us all a break.

December 21, 2012 : Still no manual, still no skins.

Some poor guy has been in the Thesis 2 forum trying to find out how to put an image rotator in the header since December 13. He hasn’t had an answer that makes any sense since then. I’m trying to do the same thing, and I come up with a blank too. When I posted my displeasure by saying that the answers to his questions didn’t make any sense, my post was deleted. Another has been trying since December 1, with no success from the people who have all the answers – whoever they are.

What a bunch of fucking morons.

December 5, 2012 – still no manual or any other promised goods. But, according to the corporate flim-flammer, Thesis 2 is completely compatible with WP3.5. Go figure. Vaporware was never this bad.

• Customer service: Zero .
• Customer feedback: Zero .
• Contact with company representatives: Zero .
• Public relations: Zero .
• Getting what the customer pays for and is promised: Zero .
• The chance that I would I recommend this company, its products, its management team or its owner: ZERO .

Update December 1, 2012 : No manual, no skins. It’s been two, count ’em, two months. Where’s the beef? What a fucking loser this theme company is.

The saddest thing by far is that this dumbass clown and his Thesis 2 theme has a public relations disaster nightmare on his hands and he’s too smart by far to recognize it. If he was just a tad more of a dumbass, he’d be trying to do damage control. He can’t, though, because he spends too much time being a Twitter Twat™.

Forum user counts have been disabled, but queries are way down compared to just a few days ago. I guess everyone is finally learning how to use Thesis 2 all by themselves.

* cue sound of uncontrollable laughter *

Update November 15, 2012 : I’ve spent innumerable hours trying to do the simplest things with this theme, such as have teasers with thumbnails, captions under images, and a whole lot more. THIS THEME IS UNUSABLE IN ITS PRESENT STATE . Which means, it’s unusable if you want to do basic WP functions that are embedded in WP. BUY ANOTHER THEME !

Furthermore, who gives a flying fuck about Golden Width Typography or whatever the fuck he calls it when you can’t even design a fucking homepage with this fucking useless monstrosity that he’s been paid millions of dollars for?

Update November 5, 2012 : Apparently a Thesis DIY Themes employee has a paid theme available for sale. Why is it that an employee has time to develop a skin for sale, yet the clusterfuck known as Pearson&Cie can’t smell their own shit well enough to produce a skin? Is that a method of rewarding employees, rather than loyal theme subscribers? WTF is with that?

Clown & Company can’t even get a favicon image to display. Christ on mighty. Oops. I mean, they’ll be a-gettin’ to that Real.Soon.Now.

Rotating header images? Nope. Sorry about that. Want to search the forum only for T2 rotating header image info? Can’t do that either. All the shit and detritus for T1 comes up, and there’s no way to tell until you actually read the forum post whether it applies to T1 or T2. BUY ANOTHER THEME !

Update November 1, 2012 : It’s been a month since Thesis 2 was unceremoniously dropped on its paying customers, and still no manual . Still no skins . But they’re coming Real.Soon.Now. Funny thing about that, though. Real Soon Now was the cri de couer of software in the ’90s. Usually it meant that nothing was ever forthcoming.

WTF is with that? Vaporware or what? I’m beginning to think the Thesis theme is done.

My recommendation:  BUY ANOTHER THEME !

Update October 24, 2012 : The Thesis 2.01 update will not have official documentation. Nothing new there. The Thesis 2.0 release still has no documentation provided by Pearson. If it smells like shit, it is shit.

Try to imagine a business that promotes itself exclusively by tweeting on twitter, and you have the essence of diythemes and its product. Meanwhile, the Thesis theme forum goes unused in an effort to have it and its moderators feebly attempt to hold the hands of the owners of a product for which no official documentation exists. If it smells like shit, it is shit.

Oh, wait. I said that already. BUY ANOTHER THEME !

Update October 15, 2012 : Thesis 2 was dropped unceremoniously onto Thesis aficionados minus a manual, minus how-tos, minus just about everything a good piece of software should have. The fanboys all love it and extoll the virtues, but it’s no miracle cure for anything. And it won’t be.

• Drag and drop? Not likely.
• Blockquotes, a staple of WP since forever? Not recognized.
• No coding required? Sure, I guess. Somewhere.
• A thumbnail image standard in WP? Not recognized.
• Teasers? Go code.
• Rounded corners? Where?
• wp_debug codes?  Ad infinitum.
• Skins? Not available. But they’ll be there real soon now–just like the documentation.
• It makes extensive modifications to the database. Ouch.

*     *     *

I can no longer recommend Chris Pearson’s Thesis or Thesis 2 theme in any way, shape, or form. It is my considered opinion that the Thesis theme should be avoided it at all costs. Please consider Genesis or some other paid theme platform for WordPress.

My advice: Try something else if you’re looking for a paid theme.

11 thoughts on “DIY Thesis theme sucks problems”

Thesis are releasing a new skin called focus. Chris made several YouTube records and sent it to his contact list. His clips got 350 views only. Fuck thesis theme. They let down so many people including their partners and venders. I believe Thesis should be kicked out of wordpress market. Thesis victim

No refund policy and hours of frustration later I am pissed that I bought this on recommendation, buyer beware.

You’re not alone. Unfortunately, many people believe the hype, purchase the theme, and then find out how useless it is. I’m constantly surprised to find out that people are still purchasing the DIY Thesis themes. Are they still in business?

You are SO DAMN RIGHT! I googled # stay away from thesis# and found you cause really wanted to build a website against them. Its crap and EXPENSIVE even if you are a coder… Cause coding to get things rolling fairly nice takes time and time IS MONEY.

Imagine what it was for me a former personal trainer, handicapped now and a coach to be. I even spent on a skin for Thesis that was even crappier than Thesis. Ive spent hours and hours on all this Thesis well mounted Cirque de Crap!

Fortunalely today Im having a clone done by a guy on fiverr and will install a Tesla Super great Theme this week and will start all over again taking care of my blog again.

I kept asking on the forums what was the benefit of Thesis compared to normal themes and there was a tomb like silence… I even had the 1.x version… Uggg Su**cked.

Thanks for the post.

Thanks for finding this post on the Thesis time-suck theme, Teo. I stopped using Thesis on all of my sites at about version 1.8. I never bothered transitioning to 2.0 because of the horrible amount of time it would have taken to translate six themes based on v1 over to v2. It was absolutely horrible. There was no way that the v1 themes could be converted/transported to v2.

Thesis v1 is not even responsive. If one wishes to make use of google’s most current algorithms, one has to install a responsive theme that will display on all phones, tablets, etc. with no issues. Good luck with Thesis v1. It won’t do it.

I have since began to use mostly free WordPress themes. They are so much more friendly, don’t require any time to learn to use, and just plain work – all the time.

I just wanted to tell you that after a bout of SERIOUS frustration, I stumbled on this post, took your advice and installed Suffusion! I couldn’t be happier with it! It’s the most flexible, user-friendly theme I’ve ever used. Just awesome, and my site has never looked better! So, thanks very much for writing this and giving me the push I needed to finally ditch Thesis. I liked the original, but Thesis 2.0 just plain and simply sucked. It’s been annoying the crap out of me for years!

I’m glad I was able to help. Thesis in any version is outdated when the free themes that come with WordPress totally outshine Thesis with flexibility, ease of use, and workability. Chris Pearson and Thesis DIY are a great blast from the past, though. Thanks for finding the post, and for commenting.

As for the Suffusion theme, it’s free. Imagine that!

Your site looks awesome without Thesis in any form.

Too bad you took your awesome site sans the useless Thesis theme created by Chris Pearson down, Heather. Isn’t it great, though? There are SO MANY options to the sucky, difficult problems with Thesis, aren’t there? It’s so hard to make a serious, considerate choice with so many better selections out there.

Yeah, agree on all fronts. Ok, we all know CP is a complete tool, but I’ll never get back all the lost hours trying to get it up & running!

I realize you’re grumpy, but let me be grumpy, too, just this once.

Thesis theme, however popular, is the worst thing that happened to people running a WordPress based businesses.

Not going to repeat the things you wrote, just to support the cause of letting people know what to avoid (at all cost).

Thanks for commenting, Dragan.

The fanboys over on the Thesis forum can’t extoll the virtues of the theme furiously enough. Unfortunately, for the “regular” users attempting to build something, it’s Good Luck With That. Pearson&Cie. continue to blast the Twittersphere with never-ending Tweets. I don’t think he quite realizes that a manual can’t be built out of 140 characters at a time, spread out over a month-plus of useless Twats.

It’s still Real. Soon. Now. for someone who actually might want to do something without going too deeply into the nuthouse trying to figure it all out.

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